A New Beginning
by IntensityxIntended
Summary: Finally, after all they've endured, after all the trials and tribulations, after the battles were fought and the Lich was defeated, Marshall, Fionna, and Gumball can live together in peace. Sort of. With Fionna pregnant, their peaceful home life becomes chaotic in a different kind of way. Will they be able to cope with a new life in their midst? **Lemony content. Part 5/6
1. Chapter 1: Adjusting

*****ABOUT THE FIRST PART, THE OTHER OPTION: The admins have removed the first part of this series from the site, which is why you can only find 5 out of 6 stories. I'm really sorry about that, guys. If you want a general overview of the first story, go ahead and message me and I'll send it to you. I'm going to try to post it somewhere else and post a link to it so ya'll can find it. Thank you so much for reading my work!*****

**Author's Note: Hey everybody! Welcome back to my never-ending tale of three loves! For those of you just joining in, this story is part 5/6. If you haven't read The Other Option, What Was Hidden, This World Is Not Enough, and/or A Daughter's Revenge, you might want to at least skim them, so you have an idea of what's going on. **

**I LOVED writing these stories, and I'm kind of sad that this is the last part. But I am eternally grateful to those of you who've stuck with me and read through everything I've written and that have left inspiring feedback. You guys are so awesome.**

**So, per the norm, I must say that I do not own nor have any rights to Adventure Time, its characters, its story, or any concepts pertaining to it. **

**Also, this is a *LEMON*, so if you're not into smut, there are a few chapters you may want to ignore. **

**Alright then, I'll leave you all to it! Please enjoy, and if you can, tell me what you think! I love you guys :D**

Fried robindove eggs…

Fried… robindove… eggs…

Glob, that sounds _so_ good right now. So good that I should probably wake up and get some… Wait, we don't have any robindoves in the Candy Kingdom. No, that won't do. I _need_ those eggs. I won't be able to sleep, to _function_ without them.

I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes, looking at the clock on the bedside table. It was 2:04am. For a slight second, I thought I should just try to forget about it and go back to sleep. I looked down at my bloating, 4 month pregnant tummy, and decided; nope!

"Marshall," I whispered, shaking the sleeping vampire next to me gently. He just lightly swatted my hand away and mumbled something I couldn't understand. "Marshall!" I tried again, shaking him harder. He furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes still shut, and mumbled again. This time he rolled over onto his side.

I noticed, as time went on and my tummy grew bigger, my temper grew shorter. I had no patience for not getting what I wanted, when I wanted it. I smacked him on the back of the head.

He flew out of bed in a fright, hovering above the sheets and rubbing his head. "Ow, Fi! Jeez, what the hay?!"

"Ssshh! Be quiet! Don't wake up Gumball," I whispered harshly, checking over my shoulder to make sure he was still asleep. Gumball had grown into the habit of sacrificing every basic human need in the name of research. For the baby. The moment he found out I was pregnant, he stopped eating and sleeping, and even peeing. It was a miracle we got him into bed.

Marshall floated down and sat on the sheets, his expression tired and his body gravitating towards the pillow. "What is it, Fi?" he asked, sounding exhausted and worn.

"I need robindove eggs. Fried robindove eggs. Can you go get some and make them for me?" I asked, trying to be sweet about it.

He gave me a shocked look, examining my face with surprise before speaking. "Are you serious? There aren't any robindoves anywhere _near_ here! I'd have to fly all the way to the Wildberry Kingdom, at best." I just gave him the sad eyes, the begging eyes, the eyes he was weak to. "Uuuugghhh come _on_ Fi! I just went two nights ago to get you a fire jam and plum banana sandwich. From the Fire Kingdom. Can't I have a break?" he whined, trying to fight the eyes.

"But Marshy! I _need_ them! The baby needs—"

"Uuuuggghhh fine!" he growled, climbing out of bed and slipping on the nearest jeans he could find. "But if I get back and make you your damn eggs, and you're fast asleep, I'm going to—"

"Going to what, bad boy?" I said seductively, cutting him off. I batted my lashes a bit and let the sheet fall slightly, just barely falling past my bare breast. He watched intently, hoping for more, but when he figured out that he couldn't get any more, he just sighed and shook his head, smiling.

"Be right back, bunny girl."

"Hurry back, bat boy." I smiled warmly at him and fell back onto the pillow, snuggling as best I could with my bulging belly into Gumball's back. Within seconds, Marshall had jumped onto the window sill and had flown off.

* * *

When I woke up the next time, the room was bright with sunshine, and I was alone in the bed. The clock read 8:47am, so I wasn't too surprised that I was the last one up. Marshall liked to be up before the sun woke him up with searing pain, and Gumball… well, he had that little habit to keep up with.

There was a smell encapsulating the room, a familiar smell. It smelled like… eggs. Fried eggs. The moment I realized what it was, I felt sick to my stomach. I threw the sheets over my legs, crawled out of bed, darted straight for the bathroom, and ducked my head into the toilet. Whatever I had for dinner last night never had a chance.

When I was done… expelling… my dinner, I brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth as best I could. I'd been throwing up at _least_ 3 times a week since I woke up from my coma, so I had this routine down pat. I pulled my hair up into a pony tail, pulled the silky royal bathrobe around my shoulders, and just before I was about to tie it around me, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

They say that when a woman's pregnant, she gets this glow about her, this shine of happiness. As I looked at myself from the side in the mirror and ran my hand up and down my growing tummy, I thought that I really couldn't deny that saying. I looked healthy, and happy. My curvy body took on the look of pregnancy like it had been meant to carry children all its' life. My breasts grew a little plumper, my hips became a little thicker, and my face… my face looked calm and kind.

I still wasn't used to the idea of giving birth. Or having a little me, or Gumball, or Marshall running around. The thought of it actually terrified me. But, when I sat and thought about it and thought about how I was no mother, I reminded myself that I left titles behind a long time ago. I'm Fionna, and I'll be whatever the lump I want to be.

I finished dressing myself as best as I could—or, at least, as much as I felt like dressing—and headed towards the dining room. On the way, I passed by Gumball's open study and slinked in, silent as can be. He had his nose buried in another baby-naming book, one that was probably written by some old cretin based on the plants that grew under certain stars during this month at this temperature and blah blah blah. Gumball really didn't know how to just go with the flow when it came to this.

Quietly, I crept up to his desk, his eyes still focused on the pages. I raised my hands up in the air and slammed them on the table, making a huge _SMASH_ sound, and startling him out of his chair.

He jumped straight up and dropped his book, his face looking shaken and worn. "Oh my glob, Fionna! You scared me!" he breathed, his hand on his chest as he panted and tried to calm down.

I sat on his desk and let the robe ride up a little bit. "Your nose was so deep in that book that I wasn't sure if you were even on this planet anymore. It was the only way to get your attention," I said, smiling at him innocently.

He smiled back at me, never being able to stay mad at me for any period of time, and came around the desk, pulling me off of it and wrapping me in his arms. "I'm sorry if I've been distracted lately," he said, stroking my back.

I looked up at him and cupped his face in my hand. Despite the sleep he got, he still looked exhausted. "_Distracted_ is putting it lightly. You can relax, you know. The Seeress already said he'll be a healthy, happy baby."

He sighed and leaned his forehead on mine, closing his eyes. "I wish I could relax, but I can't. Every time I think about the child growing in your belly, I get so excited that I have to do _something_ to keep my attention, before my heart tries to escape through my throat. I mean, that's our son growing inside you! A little royal prince! I _have_ to make sure everything is perfect for when he comes."

"Okay, first of all, we don't know if it's _our_ son. It could be Marshall's. And second, the baby is coming in five months, and you've already spent the last two doing nothing but research. How much more information could you possibly need?" I pulled my head away slightly to look into his tired pink eyes, hoping that I could convince him to, at the very least, take a break.

"Whether he's mine or Marshall's, he'll be our royal prince, and he needs to be prepared for. There's so much to know, Fionna! Like, for instance, did you know that, depending on what the mother craves and eats during pregnancy, the baby could come out with those particular food preferences?" Instantly his eyes went from tired to excited. He wanted so badly to talk about everything he's learned.

I smiled and shook my head, realizing that I wouldn't win today. "No, I didn't. But…" I said, slowly backing away from him, "I _am_ craving something sweet…" I said seductively, sitting back on the desk and hiking up the robe. Gumball chuckled and closed the space between us, leaning over me and kissing me passionately, moving his hips between my legs. I could feel myself get excited just by the thoughts racing through my head. I wanted him so badly to just take me in that instant, right there on the desk.

He pulled away from the kiss, pulling on my wrists and standing me up. "I want to, Fi, but I can't. Not right now." He kissed my forehead, and I could feel the disappointment spread across my features. "I think Marshall's making breakfast, though. You should eat, my love." Gumball smiled warmly at me, holding my face in his hand as he stroked my cheek with his thumb. I guess I couldn't be mad at him for long, either.

I stood up on my toes to level with him and gave him a peck on the lips. "Don't work too hard, okay? A king needs his rest."

"I won't," he chuckled, seeing me out before returning to his desk and his book.

I shuffled down the hall, following the sickening smell of fried eggs. I knew that, before I was pregnant, fried eggs were like my second favorite breakfast, next to Cake's bacon pancakes, but even _those_ sounded nauseating right now.

I found Marshall in the kitchen, practically hanging over a frying pan, a nest of small eggs with blue and red dots on them next to the stove and a plate full of fluffy eggs on the other side of him. He looked so worn out, so exhausted.

Oh. That's right. I sent him out this morning to get me these eggs.

"Sooo, heh heh… funny story," I started, scooting into the kitchen and keeping my eyes from making contact with his. "I, uh, don't… want… the eggs anymore. The smell is making me sick." I looked up at him through my eyelashes, his tired, yet intense eyes blazing into me.

"You… what?!" he growled, stopping everything he was doing.

I hung my head for a moment and walked up to him, wrapping my arms around his bare torso. I'd forgotten that all he left with this morning was jeans. "I'm sorry, Marshy. I really, really am. This pregnancy thing is a real bummer."

He didn't hug me back. He just moved the pan off the burner and leaned on the counter, breaking my hug and letting his long, black hair cover his features. He was upset.

"I knew I should have just pretended to go. Jeez, Fi," he said, rubbing his eyes with his palm. He crossed his arms and peered at me through a break in his black hair, his red eyes looking dull with tiredness. "My little monster better not be as demanding as you are," he said, grinning at me.

I punched him in the arm, lightly, and smiled. "I am _not_ demanding. I'm the coolest, awesome-est chick you know. And who ever said it was your little monster?"

He pushed off the counter and, with incredible speed and strength, swooped me up into his arms, suspending me in the air. "I said so, because I'm the coolest, awesome-est guy _you_ know, and therefore, the demon spawn is mine," he said, leaning down to steal a kiss.

"Marshall, that doesn't even make sense!" I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck. We chuckled together, his eyes brightening with every passing moment.

Then, out of nowhere, I craved, _needed_ roasted boar hawk soup. It enveloped my mind and took over my soul, to the point where I couldn't even think past it.

"Hey, uh, Marshall?" I asked, preparing my begging face.

His laughing, smiling face immediately fell. "What do you absolutely need this time?"

"Roasted boar hawk soup," I said, smiling big and innocently. He hung his head back in mock frustration, being dramatic as usual. "Hey, if you don't want to go, I would be more than willing to go out and wrestle down my own boar."

He snapped his head back and glared right into my face. "Absolutely not." Marshall set me down again and rested his hands on my shoulders. "You're on house arrest until that baby comes. No adventuring, no hunting, and especially no boar wrestling."

I crossed my arms and watched him as he looked around for something to wear as a shirt. Apparently it was too much work to go get one from our bedroom. "I don't get why you're so protective, Marshall. I can kick monster butt with both hands behind my back and be totally fine!"

"I'm not okay with you taking that risk. Not with you being pregnant." He slipped on a chef's coat from the pantry and came up and hugged me. "You have _two_ lives to think about now. And so do I."

I sighed and hugged him back. "I know. I'm just tired of doing nothing." I pulled back from the hug to look him in the face. "And just so we're clear, _you're_ not putting me on house arrest. I'm here because I want to be," I said smiling and sticking my tongue out at him.

He smashed his lips to mine, sucking in my tongue and massaging it with his own, his fangs gently poking at my lips. The kiss was dizzying, and instantly I was brought back to that place where I wanted nothing more than for him to take me, right there on the counter.

He pulled back and smiled seductively at me. "Whatever you say, your highness. But alas! I must venture forth to find my love her roasted boar hawk! 'Til we meet again, sweet Fionna!" Marshall waved his hands around and bowed, again, being dramatic. I just laughed at him and curtseyed.

Together we walked out of the kitchen and to the nearest window. He picked up an umbrella, gave me a peck goodbye, and jumped out into the open air.

I rubbed my tummy gently, looking out the window, watching him fly away. Inside me was my son, my little boy. I didn't know who his father was, or who he was going to be, or how he would end up, but I knew that, no matter what happened, he would be _my_ son. My prince. And I would love him as much as I loved his father.


	2. Chapter 2: Restlessness

I spent my days trying to stay occupied, but I was never really satisfied. Sometimes I'd go and sit with Gumball and have him tell me all about what he'd learned and listen to his new theories about "our" baby. Usually his information is pretty interesting, but it wasn't enough to keep my active brain and body entertained for long. Gumball lived more in the future, and I lived more in the present. And the present desperately wanted activity.

Marshall liked to hang out with me and walk with me in the gardens, but when I was with him, that was the extent of dangerous activity he would "allow" me to do. Going outside the palace was far too dangerous. I mean, what if the ground falls out beneath me in a freak accident? That totally happens. All the time. Or so Marshall thinks.

Cake was more of a saving grace than either of them. When Marshall took naps during the day because of the errands I would send him on, Cake and I would break out the wood swords and do some combat practice. That was usually the highlight of my week, but it was always cut short by _something_. And by something, I mean Gumball. He would tattle on us to Marshall if he found us practice fighting, and Marshall would get on my case like a scolding parent. It was annoying, but I tried to focus more on the fact that he would make a great authoritative parent, and Gumball would make a wonderful, caring father.

Sometimes, at night, I wouldn't be able to sleep well. Whether it be the hot flashes, the back aches, or the racing mind, there was something keeping me awake. When that happened, I usually snuck out of bed and wandered the palace for a while. Sometimes I would take a bath to try to cool down and relax, and sometimes I would get some great advice from Sam, who seemingly never slept. Other times I would hang out with The Seeress, who moved into the castle and covered her entire room in mirrors. She still watched over everyone and everything, but she did so more with observation than anything.

"Hey, Seeress, what're you up to tonight?" I asked one night while I was wandering the halls.

"Ah, I see the queen is having trouble sleeping again. Is the prince causing you discomfort?" She stared blankly into space, her white eyes wide open, not a hint of tiredness touching her childish face.

"You got me!" I said, grunting as I lowered myself into a chair. The bigger I grew, the harder it was to do simple things like that. "See anything interesting tonight?"

"I see your future, and I see your son. Would you like to know who he is now?" she asked sweetly, a mischievous smile across her face.

I just smiled and shook my head, leaning back in the chair to take pressure off of my belly. "You know I don't, Seeress. I want to be surprised. All I need to know right now is that it's my son and he's going to be a healthy, happy boy."

"Such a happy father I see," she teased, cocking her head slightly in my direction.

"I'm sure they'll both be delighted." I leaned my head on my fist, feeling tired, but restless. "So, Seeress. Now that you've lived here with us for two and a half months, how are things feeling for you? Are you doing alright here?"

Her smile slowly faded as she thought about my question. "I enjoy being here with you. I've made many friends. Peppermint Maid is still frightened of me, though."

I laughed and sat up again, trying to find a comfortable position. "Take it as a compliment. You're just about the only thing that scares her." A small smile curved her lips as she watched time go by in other places. She looked content. At peace. She didn't look like stone anymore. "How's your heart doing? Is the machine holding up?"

"It is doing quite well, thank you. Sam is hard at work developing a new heart for me, an organic one. I am excited to be whole again." Seeress turned and walked a few steps over to me, sitting on her knees in front of me in the chair, placing her small, pale hands on my growing belly. "I am more excited to meet the prince," she said, smiling up at me, her white eyes looking happy.

I laid my hands on hers and looked down into her small, round face. "I'm excited, too."

"No, you are worried. You worry that you will fail as a mother, that you will abandon your child as your parents did you. Fear not, my queen. I do not foresee that in your future."

Her big, confident smile eased my doubts. I pulled her hands up and bid her to sit on my lap. Or, at least, sit on it as best she could. I held her there with my arms wrapped around her and leaned my head against hers. She may have been a thousand years older than me, but she felt like my little sister. That's how I treated her, that's how I felt about her. "Thank you. I appreciate the fortunes you give me. They always make me feel better."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head on my shoulder, nuzzling into me. "Perhaps I shall give the king his fortune as well. If I tell him all he desires to know, maybe he will finally sleep!"

We burst out in giggles and I held her tighter, her small frame leaning gently against my round belly. After our giggles cooled and our smiles lessened, we sat there for a while, simply enjoying our time together.

I don't know when, but soon after, I fell fast asleep in that chair.

* * *

A few days later, I was laying in the royal bed, trying to find a comfortable position where my back wasn't cramping so much, when suddenly, Gumball barged into the room.

"Fionna!" he cried, panting and trying to catch his breath.

I sat up—or rather, rolled onto my side and pushed myself up—and looked at him questioningly. To be honest, that was the most enthusiasm I've seen from him in weeks. "What is it?" I asked suspiciously.

"I figured it out!" he said, smiling big and walking over to me. He sat on the bed next to me and held my hands in his lap, his eyes bright with excitement but his face drooping with a lack of rest.

"Figured… what out…?"

"I figured out what we're going to name our son!" He squeezed my hands with joy and smiled brightly into my face, waiting for my reaction.

"That's great…! What, uh, what did you decide on?" I was terrified of what he would come up with this time. The last three names were horrible, and I didn't know how to let him down gently. Instead, I told Marshall the names, and Marshall snubbed that out quickly. We would not have any children named Kraniel, Forkfit, or Samtron. It just wasn't happening.

"Okay okay okay, tell me what you think about… Felix!" Again he squeezed my hands, holding them up to his face in anticipation.

A small smile crept across my face as I let the name sink in. Felix. Prince Felix. It sounded… believable. Not just believable, though. It sounded _good_. It sounded strong and vibrant and kind. It was a name that I would be happy to give my son. "Gumball… I… I love it!"

"You do?! You really do?" he squealed, his eyes dazzling with success and triumph.

I laughed and pulled his hands to my lips, kissing them gently. "I really, really do. Prince Felix, of the Candy Kingdom. It has such a good ring to it."

He threw his arms around me and held me tight, whispering "Prince Felix" into my hair. Then, he pulled away and dropped off the bed, onto his knees in front of me, and leaned his face against my swollen tummy, laying his hands gently on both sides. "My little Prince Felix," he said, kissing my belly through my shirt.

I ran my fingers through his thick pink hair, smiling down at him as he laid his face against my belly and whispered sweet nothings to the baby. The moment was perfect. Everything about it. The sun shining through the windows, the gentle breeze freshening the air, the feel of his hair between my fingers and his hands on my belly, and the knowledge that inside of me grew a perfect little boy with a perfect, princely name. I slid my hand from his hair to his cheek, pulling his chin up to look at me.

"Gumball?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Will you lay with me for a while? Keep me and the baby company?" I stroked his cheek with my thumb, feeling the bags under his eyes and the tiredness in his skin.

He leaned his face into my hand, then nodded, kissing my belly one last time before standing up and crawling back onto the bed. I laid on my side, hiking up my shirt so his warm hand could stroke my tummy as he held me from behind. I felt his hot breath against my hair and his fingers making intricate designs along my side and belly.

"Fionna…" he said quietly, raising his head up on his hand to look down into my face.

"Hm?" I rolled over slightly to get a better look at him. His eyes were lidded and his face looked like he was deep in thought.

"Do you think I'll be a good father?" He raised his pink eyes to look straight into mine, searching for my honest answer.

I rolled completely onto my back and pulled him in against me, cradling his head against my shoulder, letting his sweet smelling hair tickle my face. "I think you'll be the best father the world has ever seen. This baby is going to be the luckiest baby in existence, just because he'll have you to look up to."

I felt him smile against me, laying his hand flat on the peak of my bare belly, rubbing his thumb back and forth on it. "You know what I think?" he asked, thoughtful.

"You think I'm a psycho pregnant lady and you can't believe you married a weirdo like me?"

He just chuckled, letting the mood brighten around us slightly before he went back to his train of thought. "No, silly girl. I think you're going to be a wonderful mother. I am so, so happy to know that our children will have you in their lives. I know you're afraid, but I think that, once the time comes, your son will be your life, and he will be your reason to live, your reason to fight."

I looked up into the canopy on the bed, twisting my fingers in his soft hair, laying my hand on top of his on my belly, and thought about what he said. My reason to fight. My reason to live. Memories of my mother flooded my mind, or at least, the memories of the vision of her I saw because of the Lich. My mother was a warrior, like my father. She fought for me until her dying breath. Even in the face of pure evil, she fought to keep me safe. Was I her reason for living? I wished so much that I could talk to her, to ask her all the questions I had. Sam was like a mother figure to me, like she was to Marshall, but she never had kids, so I couldn't ask her. I'd ask Bubblegum and Marcy, but Marshall would have a heart attack if I left the castle, let alone left the universe.

I sighed deeply and kissed Gumball on the forehead. Light snores were escaping his lips, sleep ambushing the poor man before he even had a say. I just smiled against his forehead and closed my eyes, holding him to me, letting him sleep on me, happy to have him finally get some rest. To me, at that moment, that was what was important. I just wanted him and Marshall and everyone to be happy and content. That was what mattered most.


	3. Chapter 3: Impatient

Six and a half months pregnant. That's 26 weeks, 182 days, and hours upon _hours_ of aches and pains and hot flashes and cravings and mood swings. Some days I would feel like I was on top of the world, like nothing could touch me and everything was perfect. Other days I wanted to string up Marshall and Gumball by their pinkies for getting me pregnant. Then there were the days where I was sure I was going to be such a bad mother that I might as well go to sleep and never wake up. There were days when I wanted to be touched and held and loved on constantly, and days when I wanted to lock myself in a room and sit in the darkness where no one could touch me.

I saw how taxing it was on Marshall and Gumball, and how hard they tried to stay patient with me. Gumball knew how to soothe me when I was upset, and Marshall knew how to make me laugh when I was down. But when Gumball was buried neck deep in books and Marshall was the only one around when I was upset, he and I would have screaming matches. And when Marshall was out practicing with his band and I was feeling low, Gumball would feel lost and depressed around me. It was hard on us all, and for the few hours where I felt right-minded, I would be sure to apologize to them and tell them how sorry I was. They would always greet me with a smile and a comforting hug, and tell me that it was alright, they understood.

Every few days, though, I was always faced with a different kind of mood. It was a _need_ more than anything, like a craving, but for intimacy instead of food. Sometimes the mood would overtake me, to the point where I went insane with thoughts and feelings of lust and desire, so much so that I would attack the first of my men that came around. I never in a million years would have thought that I would feel this much desire when I was pregnant. As a matter of fact, I thought I would lose my sex drive entirely. I asked Sam about it, and she said that it was quite common for young women to "feel extremely sexual in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy". As strange as it sounded, I couldn't argue.

I was having one of those days, where the whole day, with each passing minute, it became harder and harder to ignore the growing lust between my legs. Every little thing turned me on. When Peppermint Maid bent over to pick something up, I thought about bending over, either Marshall or Gumball behind me, slamming into me. When I talked to Sam in the lab, and she put her knee on a stool to grab something up high, I thought about one of them holding my thigh in the air, drilling into me as fast as they could. The flashes of fantasies drove me crazy, to the point where I knew I needed to have them, even just one of them, as soon as I could.

I raced down the halls, looking in rooms and searching for them. I looked in the study to find Gumball, but he wasn't there. I called down into the basement to see if Marshall was practicing, but he wasn't there. I was heading towards the gardens when I ran into Cake and Lord, who were on their way to the tea room.

"Whoah, girl, slow down! You're going to make that baby come early at this rate!" Cake said, getting in front of me to block my path.

"Sorry Cake, I'm just in a hurry," I said quickly, trying to get around her. Every time my thighs came together, a spasm went through my body, and the need became harder to control.

"What're you lookin' for, sugar?" she asked, holding my face in her paws so I looked right at her.

"Gumball. Or Marshall. Either of them. I just need to see one of them." I tried to stand still, to make it look like I wasn't racing to jump their bones.

"Ooooooh girl, I see." She winked at me and let me go, pointing down the hall. "Marshall just passed us down this way. I think he was looking for you, too."

I followed her point with my eyes, making a note as to where he went, and bent down to hug her. "Thanks for understanding, sis," I said before darting off down the hall.

"You're welcome!" she called after me, turning to Lord and continuing their walk.

Just like she said, he was floating down a hall, a set of music sheets all crumpled and stained and messy in his hands and a pencil hanging from his lips.

"Marshall!" I called, speed walking towards him. He turned around, looking surprised to see me, and took the pencil out of his mouth.

He smiled at me and turned, changing his direction to face me. "Hey Fi, what's u—"

I cut him off, crashing my lips to his, plunging my tongue into his mouth and tasting the cool flavor of his kiss. Even with my big belly in the way, I pressed myself as hard as I could against him, feeling his body against mine, getting as close to him as possible.

I heard his papers and pencil drop onto the marble floor as one hand slid down to my ass and gripped one of my cheeks, and the other hand tangled itself in my hair, holding me tightly to him. He kissed me back with intensity and need, enough to match my own, biting my lip and playing with my tongue, before pulling away to look at me.

"Well, that was… nice," he said, a sly grin on his face.

"Shut up. Stop talking and kiss me some more," I demanded, standing up on my toes to bite his lip and kiss him again.

He didn't hesitate. He did as I said and kissed me back, plunging his tongue into my mouth, licking and sucking my lips as he ran his hands up and down my back. I entwined my fingers into his shaggy black hair, wanting to somehow get closer, get more of him.

Without breaking our kiss he bent down and wrapped his arms under my legs, cupping my ass, and holding me up against his waist. I wrapped my legs and arms around him for support, grinding my groin against his, feeling him get unbearably hard beneath his jeans. Before I knew it, he smashed me against a wall, our lips still molded together , kissing and licking and biting, and I couldn't get enough. I started pulling on my buttoned shirt, trying to get it off, but only getting to the button right below my breasts before he stopped me.

"Jeez Fionna, calm down. We're still in public," he whispered, holding my face so I wouldn't try to go after him again in my lustful haze.

Instead, I lunged for his neck and bit down hard, causing him to shutter and let out a soft moan, before I pulled back and glared into his eyes. "Then get us somewhere private, before I make you take me right here."

His face went heavy with desire, and he smashed his lips to mine, briefly, before setting me down. He grabbed my arm and pushed open the door to the nearest room, which happened to be the study connected to the green bedroom. I caught the door handle behind me and pulled it closed, then yanked Marshall around and forced him to kiss me again.

He swooped down and picked me up by my thighs once more, back where we were before we stopped, and I wrapped my legs tightly around him, wanting to feel his hard length against me. It made me shudder with want as I pressed myself against him, and he kissed me harder as I did. He walked us over to the desk, shifted my weight into one hand, and used the other to swipe everything off the desk. Without breaking the kiss, without even skipping a beat, he set me down and tore my shirt off completely, buttons and all.

I broke our kiss and did the same for him, ripping his shirt wide open, exposing the beautiful pale blue chest and slender abs that awaited me. I ran my hands up and down him, then trailed my fingers to his jeans button. He grabbed my hands, grasping them both above my head in one of his strong hands, and ducked his head down, taking one of my nipples into his mouth with force and lust. He sucked and licked and nibbled, and I cried out in pain and pleasure, rocking my body against his, wanting to touch him, to get him closer, but being held back by his tight grasp.

He let me go, just so he could use both hands to grip my long skirt and panties and force them down my thighs and legs to the floor, leaving me totally naked in front of him. He took a moment, just a moment, to look over my naked, pregnant body, to enjoy me in that way. Marshall laid both hands on my swelling belly and planted small kisses on it, starting at the top and ending at my groin.

"Ngh! Marshall—" I whispered, squirming on the desk. I couldn't see his face past my belly, so I didn't know if he acknowledged me or not.

Then I felt it, the acknowledgement. I felt his tongue plunge into my waiting, lusting slit, and his lips mold to mine. He licked and sucked and nibbled my most sensitive parts, sending me into a frenzy of passion and desire. I gripped the edge of the desk hard while his tongue danced inside of me, bring that intense need into light. I grabbed a handful of his hair and pushed his head hard against me, wanting more, needing more, crying out and moaning with every lick and every suck. He swirled my clit with his tongue before taking long, broad licks up and down my slit and ending with his tongue inside of me. I felt it, I felt that build up, that warm sensation filling me up with every stroke of his tongue and suck of his mouth. It was coming so fast, and it overwhelmed me so quickly. With one small, gentle bite, he sent me over the edge, and all my pleasure spilled out, spilled over me, engulfing me and making me twitch and buck against him. I screamed and moaned his name as wave after wave crashed into me, and my nails dug hard into the desk.

He stood up and watched me as I was flooded with ecstasy, smiling down at me, his face still covered in my juices. Then, he tore at the button on his jeans, getting them open and pulling out his rock hard manhood. He was thick and long, and just what I needed. I whimpered and begged for him to take me, to have me, to make me sing his name. I knew what to say to get him going, and I did just that.

He stuffed his jeans and boxers down below his hips, not bothering to take his clothing fully off, and grabbed my hips with force, pulling me to the very edge of the desk. I planted my feet on the ground as best I could and leaned back, waiting for him, begging for him. He plunged himself into me, with no intention of starting off gently. He slipped in easily and began pounding away, making me moan and scream and beg him for more. With each thrust his hands inched down from my hips to my ass, until finally he clutched each cheek and used it for support, slamming me onto him as he pounded into me. Again, I gripped the edge of the desk, trying to hold myself still as my body grew hot and began to slide back. Without interrupting his motion, Marshall moved his hands to the small of my back, pulling my bottom half off of the desk completely, and holding it, suspended in the air, as he thrust even harder and faster into me. I bit into my hand, trying to keep the screaming down, but it was no use. It felt amazing! It was better than anything ever before. Maybe it was the pregnancy, but the intensity this time was exhilarating. I took deep breaths to steady myself as I whispered to him, asking him for more, begging him to go deeper, harder, faster.

Finally, it became too much for him, and he pulled me off the desk completely, pulling out of me. He turned me around and bent me over, using his foot to spread my feet apart, and forced himself in again. I leaned my hands on the desk, using it to prop myself up. Marshall used one hand to get a handful of my hair and hold my head up so he could see my face as he pounded into me, the other hand gripping my hip for leverage. He thrust into me as hard as he could, small moans escaping his parted lips, sweat trickling down his stomach and face. I felt that growing feeling again build up, each thrust getting me closer and closer to that spilling point. I moaned his name and screamed my pleasure, still wanting more, wanting to be satisfied. He was getting so deep, hitting those spots so hard. He knew I was building up again, so he thrust into me hard and fast, getting as deep as he could, until finally that pleasure overwhelmed me again, and the warmth flooded over me, waves of ecstasy crashing into my body. He pulled me up against him, forcing me to arch my back as he held me tightly to him, keeping my spasms and bucking tamed. I threw my hands behind his head and gripped his hair as the last of the orgasm flooded through me, and then he picked up his pace again, thrusting into me from behind, kissing my neck, holding me tight.

I kept whispering to him between moans and grunts, begging him to come for me, to plow into me harder and come deep inside of me. He loved the dirty talk. It drove him wild. As he plunged into me over and over, thrusting deep inside, I could feel his pace falter. He couldn't concentrate anymore. He was so close. I slammed my hips into his in unison with his thrusts, until finally, he let go of my top half and held tight onto my hips, pulling me hard onto him, as he spilled himself inside of me.

I leaned over, laying my arms and head on the desk while Marshall rested his hands on my back, panting and catching his breath, his manhood still deep inside of me. Gently, he pulled out of me and sat himself down against the desk, sweat trickling down his warmed face.

"You—" he panted, rolling his head over to look at me. "You—are insatiable…"

I chuckled and sat down next to him, leaning my wet, sweaty face against his wet, sweaty chest. "And you gave me just want I needed. Thank you."

"Well," he started, leaning his head on mine, "if _that's_ what you need, I'll help you out any time."

I could feel his smile against my hair, and I punched him gently on the chest. "Don't be a perv, Marshall. And besides, it wasn't _that_ good," I bluffed, sneaking a glimpse up at him.

He was smiling big and huge, his eyes closed as he took deep breaths. He laid his hand on my tummy, rubbing it back and forth. "This little guy is going to be just like me. I can feel it."

I just giggled and snuggled into him, both of us cooling down and breathing at a steadier pace. "Yeah, we'll see about that. No son of mine is going to be a pervert."

"You just watch, Fi. You're going to have a lady killer on your hands." He leaned down and kissed me gently on the top of the head, petting my tummy in circles.

I felt content, sitting there on the floor, sweaty and naked and sticky. I felt satisfied. And I felt grateful to have someone like Marshall around to love. He may have been a jerk, but he would definitely be one doting, caring, loving father, both to his kids AND to Gumball's. I couldn't ask for more than that.

For me, that was enough.


	4. Chapter 4: Fresh

Less than a month to go before Prince Felix arrives, and I couldn't wait, partly because I wanted to meet my son, to hold him and cuddle him and see his beautiful face, but partly because my body was becoming more and more difficult to live in. Every day was a battle with my own body. I was never comfortable, I couldn't see my feet let alone the stairs or the floor, and eating was a joke. Whenever I would get really hungry, I would try to eat something, but there was no room in my tummy for food. It was just all baby. And he liked to rest on my ribs, which I'm pretty sure he was slowly breaking with each passing second. All of my clothes had to be remade, and even though I had beautiful, elegant gowns and dresses to wear to formal events and royal meetings, it was a struggle with my mind just to get dressed. Most of the palace got used to me walking around in undies and a sports bra, because anything else was too much work to put on.

I felt slow and sluggish, but that was probably because I wasn't sleeping well. Every hour I would wake up in terrible pain in either my back or hips or ribs, and I'd have to adjust somehow. Marshall and Gumball took up separate sleeping shifts, so that when the time came they were ready to get me down to the medical unit. I knew that secretly they really took different sleeping shifts because I was really hard to sleep with. I kicked and punched in my sleep, and I was always too hot or too cold. And the dreams! There were always these vivid dreams of crazy things that didn't even make sense, like when Gumball volunteered to be the Lich's dinner, or when Marshall and Marceline ran off together and had a million vampire babies. I even had dreams of Seeress stealing my son and sacrificing him to bring back ancient demons.

Needless to say, I was cranky. That motherly glow everyone was talking about sure didn't get to my brain. I felt like a zombie, but a zombie with a need to go outside. I started getting snappy with Marshall and his protectiveness, demanding that if I couldn't go out alone then he better get his butt dressed and carry me out himself. Gumball, finally reaching the point of satisfaction in his research, moved his focus to having a massive nursery constructed. And, when that was done, he put his whole attention on me, becoming just as protective as Marshall.

Still, despite all the aches and pains and crankiness, whenever baby Felix kicked the walls of my belly, my heart melted, and I rushed to get whoever was nearby so they could feel it with me. Cake was like a mother hen, always near me, keeping me company and sharing with me all the secrets that mom and dad left behind about parenting. We would share memories of growing up together, fighting pretend monsters and tearing up Mom and Dad's room to find Mom's "treasure chest" of jewelry.

"I hope your kids turn out just like you, Fi. You need to know the pain you caused Mom and Pop," Cake joked one day as we walked and waddled through the garden.

"Whatever Cake, don't act like you weren't a nightmare too," I laughed, one hand resting on my enormous belly and the other hand seemingly holding up my aching, arched back. "And why do you keep saying 'kids', like I'm going to have more than this little beast? You and everyone else make 'kid' a plural thing."

Cake smiled at me and shook her head. "Sweetie, I know pregnancy is tough right now, but once you have your beautiful baby boy in your arms, and he's smiling up at you, and for the first time you get to look into his eyes, you'll know just what it means to be a mommy, and just how much love you'll have to give to your children. I think you'll want another one the moment he falls into your arms."

Her voice was tender, dreamy, like she was imagining my day of reckoning would be covered with flowers and hugs. I was there for when she had her kittens. I knew better.

"I don't know, Cake. I love my son. I _adore_ my son. I can't wait to meet him, to see who his father is, to hold him close and snuggle into his little baby body. Thinking about it gives me butterflies. But having more than him? I mean, he's going to be my _world_. I don't know if I'd want to mess that up with having another baby." I'd thought about this several times before, wondering about our future, if Felix would even _want_ a sibling, if I would be a good enough mother to have more than one. As it stood, I was ready to give my son whatever he asked for, but would I be able to do that for _two_ children?

"Well, I guess things are a bit different for you and your human body. I know that I was happy as sunshine when all my babies came. Seeing them play together, grow together, learn together… it made me proud just to be their Momma, you know?" She had a dreamy look on her face, and I knew that, even though she was happy for a quiet life with Lord, she really missed having her kittens around.

Just then, I felt a strong kick to the top of my belly. I quickly moved my hand to it, using the other hand to grab Cakes paw. Together we felt little baby Felix move around inside of me, trying to stretch, or maybe even just trying to be a part of the conversation. Without realizing it, a tender, gentle smile crossed my face. I began to fantasize about what being a mother would be like. Wrapping him up in tight bundles, carrying him with me everywhere I went, feeding him from my breast and rocking him to sleep. Then I started to think about Marshall and Gumball as parents, cooing over the small boy, getting up with him at night and going to sleep with him during nap time.

The thought alone made my whole being go warm, and Cake caught it. She gave me her I-know-what-you're-thinking-about look, her sly smile that told me I couldn't lie to her. I guess, if just a small kick from Felix was enough to get me to consider doing it all again, I had no chance when he was actually in my arms.

I sighed deeply, rubbing my tummy with both hands as Cake took her paw back. "Alright, so maybe I think about being a mom more than I let on. But being a mom seems scary! I've never done it before. Babysitting the kittens is not the same as having your own baby."

Her sly smile turned into a warm one as she shook her head, turning to continue walking. We reached the edge of the gardens after a while, still chatting about babies and the nursery and fatherhood and cousins and nieces and nephews. Cake stopped us out of nowhere and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the orange rose bushes.

"Cake, what the hay? Where are we going?" I cried, trying my best to keep up with her without tripping over my long maternity dress.

"Girl, I got a surprise for you! You're going to love it!" she called back, dragging me along. A surprise? For me? She stopped us again in front of a small break in the bushes, where she let go of my hand and parted the shrubbery slightly. "I found this a few days ago when I was walking with Lord. It goes right outside the city walls. Are you ready for an adventure?" Cake's eyes sparkled and glittered with excitement, and I could feel my face growing to match hers.

"Glob yeah! I _need_ an adventure! Let's get out of this stale place!"

Cake crawled into the break in the bushes and expanded herself to make an archway for me to awkwardly climb under. On my hands and knees, my belly almost touched the muddy ground, but I didn't care. I needed a new scene. I needed to be outside, to be able to leave without being watched or guarded.

I shifted and wobbled my way out of the bushes, emerging into the tall grassy fields right behind the city walls. Cake crawled out after me, helping me stand up without losing my balance and falling back down again.

It was _beautiful_. Of course I'd been out here thousands of times, but the absolute need to escape the prying eyes of my lovers just made this field a million times more beautiful than ever before. The grass was tall and swayed in the whistling wind, and the clouds littered the sky in dark, white puffs of cotton. The smell was sweet and _fresh_, and it smelled new, somehow, like I'd never smelled this field before.

I took off running, vaguely aware that I wasn't running nearly as gracefully or as fast as I used to. Cake ran after me, keeping her pace with me, making sure not to run ahead but not to fall behind. I don't know how long I ran or when I stopped, but eventually Cake and I came to a place where we just laid in the grass, watching the sky and the tips of the grass sway above us. We were panting and smiling, laughing and giggling. It hurt to breathe so hard, but it was totally worth it.

I missed this. I didn't realize how much I missed just being outside with Cake, enjoying the small things. The royal life was stuffier than I expected, and the pregnant life was, well, unexpected to begin with. I loved Gumball and Marshall, more than anything in the world, but it was tiring being constantly watched and protected, like if I stepped on the wrong floor tile I might hurt myself or the baby. So this… this was nice.

"How long do you think we have 'til fang face shows up lookin' for you?" Cake asked, trying to joke, but I could tell she was more serious than she let on.

I sighed deeply and gazed at the passing clouds. "I'm surprised we've lasted this long. He means well, and so does Gumball. They just want what's best for the baby."

She let out a short chuckle and said, "Sweet babies, I thought Lord was bad! Well, I'm glad the two of us could escape, even for this long."

"Yeah, me too. Thanks Cake." I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh air, enjoying the wind in the grass and the cool cover of the clouds. For the last few hours, every now and then, I'd get some pain in my lower stomach, but it was easy to ignore. My back was hurting more than those pains. But as we laid there, I noticed the pains were getting a little more intense, were coming a little faster and staying a little longer.

I laid my hands on my massive belly and grimaced, waiting for the pain to pass. Cake noticed and sat up, looking worried and feeling my belly with her paws. "Fi, your belly is hard. Are you having contractions?"

I grunted and tried to sit up. "Well—rgh—I've been getting small pains every half hour or so, but I didn't think anything of it. But now—ngh!—they're getting harder to ignore, and last longer."

Cake shot up off the ground, grabbing my arms to help me up. "Oh sweetie, why didn't you tell me? We need to get you back to the palace!"

"But Sam said I could have contractions for days before anything happens," I whined, caught between being worried about having the baby and wanting to stay just a little longer.

Just then, a warm, goopy liquid _fell_ from between my legs, soaking my skirt and getting my legs and feet dripping wet. I tried to look down to see it, but the best I could do was back away and see the wet grass beneath me.

I looked at Cake's shocked face, searching for answers and explanations.

"Fionna, that was your—your water! Sweet babies! We need to leave, now!" she cried, stretching herself huge and gently wrapping me up in her arms.

"Wait, what do you mean?! What's happening?!" I cried up to her, holding tight to her stretched arms.

She lumbered her huge head down to look at me, worry and determination all over her face. "It _means_ the baby is coming!"


	5. Chapter 5: Hello

Cake thundered back to the palace, talking to herself about how she never should have taken me out this late, and how it was stupid of her to think it was okay to go so far from the city. Or maybe she was talking to me, but I wasn't listening. I was mentally coaching myself through the pains in my body. They were becoming more intense and lasting longer, to the point where I had to hold my breath through some of them just to keep from crying out.

When we reached the palace and Cake burst through the doors, Marshall and Gumball were both there to greet us, expecting to be angry with us. As Cake set me down and tried to explain in rushed gasps, I summed it up by gripping my bulging belly and bending forward, grunting in pain.

"Wait, the _baby_ is coming?!" Gumball exclaimed, rushing to me and holding my shoulders so I didn't tip forward.

"And you took her out like this?!" Marshall snapped, scooping me up into his arms.

The pain subsided just enough for me to correct him. "No no no, she was just trying to get me fresh air. She didn't know I was having contractions. _I_ didn't know."

I couldn't make sense of what they all said, rushed words and mumbles and orders and arguments, but I knew that we were heading towards the medical unit, and fast. Marshall flew us down there like he was trying to save his life, and almost tore down the doors to the room they made up for me. The clown and candy nurses all fluttered and whirred around us, getting IV's ready, heart monitors, hospital gowns, even a tray full of food that was supposed to help with the contractions.

It took almost an hour for them to get everything set up, and when that was through, everyone settled down into chairs and couches around my bed. It almost felt awkward, given that an hour ago this was the most important thing ever, and now it was just a waiting game. Doctor Prince came in every half an hour to get between my legs and measure how far dilated I was. It was always uncomfortable, whenever I was poked and prodded by doctors, so when I squirmed, Marshall would stand straight up, fists clenched, ready to beat the doctor down. Gumball had to calm him, to shush him and hold his hand in his lap. It went on like this for hours.

To distract me, Cake and Gumball sat on either side of my bed and we tried to play card games between contractions. Marshall tried to play, but he was too nervous, too impatient. He didn't like seeing me in pain and he didn't like waiting, so put him in a room for hours with me squirming in agony every 3-10 minutes, and he was ready to kill someone.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Doctor Prince came back in to measure me, this time coming up from between my legs with news of progress.

"You're dilated to 7 centimeters. We can give you some medicine to numb the area a little and make it a lot less painful. Would you like to do that?" he asked in his calm, soothing voice. By that time, whenever the contractions hit, I was sure I was being torn apart and massacred from the inside. But even so, I was a warrior. I've had chunks bit out of me and flesh torn to shreds. I could handle this. It was bad, but I've had worse.

Still, a thought came over me that scared me a little. If this was only 7 centimeters, then what did 10 feel like?

"No, I can handle it, Doctor Prince," I said, trying to sound calm. A contraction was coming, so it was getting harder to make it seem like it wasn't so bad.

"Fionna! Honey, are you crazy?! Child birth is mad painful, girl!" Cake snapped, standing straight up from her position against my side on the bed.

I took in a few deep breaths and calmly replied, "I can _feel_ that, Cake, but I'm going to do this the hard way. That's what warriors do."

"_Warriors_ don't push out babies like this! At least not a lot of them, Fi. This is your first, girl. This is going to be crazy pain!" Her eyes blared into mine, strong and questioning, and more motherly than I could ever dream of being.

I raised my IV-ed hand and laid it gently between her ears, shooting a smile at her to try to soothe her worries. "I can handle it Cake, I promise."

Her mouth hung open in disbelief, then she closed both her jaw and her eyes and put her hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Your call, Fi. But don't blame me when it feels like you're trying to give birth to the entire Fire Kingdom."

I giggled a little at her comparison. I mean, I knew childbirth was hard, but it wasn't _that_ hard, right? I couldn't even wrap my head around the thought of giving birth to the Fire Kingdom. It just sounded silly.

Doctor Prince nodded at my decision and wrote some notes into my chart. "Very well. You can change your mind at any time, but when you hit 9 1/2 centimeters, it'll be too late. You'll need to push."

Then it hit me. It hit me like the Candy Express going at full speed. _I would need to push_. This whole time, everything's been surreal to me. I knew I was pregnant, and that I was in terrible pain, and the baby was on his way, but it didn't hit me until just then that this was actually happening. In a few hours, I would have my son in my arms. I wouldn't be pregnant anymore. All the waiting, the anticipation, the mood swings, the cravings, the sickness, the protectiveness… all of it would be replaced with my son, my Felix.

"Fionna, are you sure this is what you want to do?" Gumball asked, standing above me and stroking the hair from my face.

I took a big gulp and nodded to him, too terrified of it all to actually speak. He could see it in my face, and even though he accepted my request to do this naturally, he shot me a look of concern and worry.

Doctor Prince, inept at reading people and situations, watched us carefully before taking his leave with the nurses.

Three hours later, I was dilated to 9 ½. The pain was _excruciating_ as the contractions raked through my body. Every time they hit, it was like being hit with a thousand thunderbolts at once, or getting mutilated by a hot jack hammer over and over again. Marshall took up the post of standing at the head of my bed, holding both of my hands above me, so that when a contraction hit, I could squeeze his hands as hard as I needed to. Gumball and Cake both tried to take a hand, but I just didn't have the self-control not to crush them.

"Alright, Fionna, you're ready to start pushing. I'm going to need to ask that only the father and one other person stay in the room for this so we have room to maneuver. Who is the father?" Doctor Prince announced, peeking around the room from his position between my legs.

Marshall and Gumball just looked at each other, then at the doctor. "We're not sure who the father is, Doctor. As far as we're concerned, we're both the father."

Doctor Prince just nodded and went back to observing my nether regions. "I see. Well, in that case, I suppose you both can stay. Cake, you'll have to lea—"

"NO!" I shouted, lifting myself up on my elbows as quickly as I could. "No, I need her here. She's my sister. I can't do this without her." I glared down at Doctor Prince, who just barely peeked up at me.

He let out a deep sigh and said, "Fine, if that's how it must be. Cake, if you're going to stay, I'll need your help. Fionna is much too strong for the nurses to hold down, so you'll need to keep her legs open for us."

"I'm on it, baby," Cake said, standing next to Marshall and gently wrapping her arms around and around my legs. The more people touching me, the more I felt restricted.

"Alright, Fionna, take deep, calming breaths. I know it hurts, I know it's painful, but you have to keep your breathing as regular as possible, understood?" Doctor Prince cooed. I nodded to him and laid my head back against the pillow, staring Cake and Marshall in the face. Marshall was smiling at me, telling me it'll be okay. Cake looked beyond excited, but ready to do whatever she could to keep me restrained. Gumball came up and stroked my face, soothing me and whispering to me that everything was going to be alright. "Okay, Fionna. Push!"

* * *

I could have only been pushing for a few seconds, and I wouldn't have known. To me, it felt like an eternity of pain and agony. The pain was indescribable, like a hundred white hot pokers being forced inside of me, tearing me open, ripping up my insides. I begged and pleaded for the doctor to just cut him out of me, to get him out, to do _anything_ to make it not last so long. I screamed at Marshall, telling him I hated him for doing this to me, then I screamed at Gumball for the same reason. All of them—Cake, Gumball, Marshall, Doctor Prince, the nurses—coached me and cheered for me and reminded me to push and told me I was doing great and that it would be over soon. I didn't believe them. How could I? In that much pain, Billy could have stood at the side of my bed, and I wouldn't have believed he was there.

But then, suddenly, none of it mattered. The pain eased and I heard the small, shrieking wail of a baby, and everything, _everything_ was different. The pain didn't matter, the agony didn't matter, the achiness and soreness and torment of the last few hours didn't matter. All that mattered was that moment, that very first moment, after Marshall and Gumball both cut the cord together and they wrapped him up tight in a blanket, that my boy was laid in my arms.

They were right. He was beautiful. My beautiful baby boy, my beautiful Prince Felix. He looked just like his father. My creamy skin, my strength, my nose, but everything else was his fathers. His thick pink hair, his bright pink eyes, even his kingly demeanor. He was Gumball's son.

"Congratulations, your highness, to giving birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy. He's 7lbs, 8oz, born at 3:17am," Doctor Prince announced, standing up from his stool to look at us.

Marshall, Cake and Gumball all crowded around me to coo over the baby, but I couldn't hear anything they were saying. It just didn't matter to me. All that mattered was his small, reddened face, his head full of thick, wispy hair, and the feel of his tiny, fragile fingers wrapping around mine. It was strange how, in a matter of seconds, your world can go from the pit of misery to the height of joy, how your whole meaning to live can shift and change at the snap of your fingers.

I cupped his tiny head with my hand, holding him gently, stroking his small face with my thumb, just enjoying his presence. Then, tucking him into my arm, I raised him to my face and kissed his small, wrinkled head.

"Hello, Felix."


	6. Chapter 6: Growing

Felix proved to be a healthy baby, healthy enough that we only needed to stay in the medical unit for two days. He was eating right, breathing regularly, and sleeping for at least 18 hours of the day. Since he was a royal baby, he was appointed 4 nurses to constantly care for him and look after him. I tried to tell them it wasn't necessary, that between Marshall and Gumball practically fighting over who got to get up with him and spend time with him, not even I would be able to get close, but they didn't listen.

The nursery Gumball had built for him was perfect. It was massive, and could probably house a quarter of the Candy Kingdom, but to me, it was perfect. My son deserved the world, but the nursery was a good start. It had windows covering the walls, overlooking different parts of the city. Some windows faced the gardens, some windows faced the Candy Citizens and their homes and shops, and some windows faced the forests in the distance. There were toys and furniture scattered about, with toy boxes and high chairs and even little training potties all over the place. Of course, Felix wouldn't need any of that until he was at least a year old, but seeing it everywhere was comforting. He would have the best of the best.

His crib was hand-crafted from wood that was taken from the Red Forest. It was such a beautiful shade of red, with earthy green sheets and all different colored stuffed animals in it. There was a canopy above it, and a little mosquito net to keep the bugs out.

There were changing stations and refrigerators stocked with empty bottles all around the room, as well as rocking chairs and even a hammock. Truly, it was a nursery meant for a prince.

As if having almost an entire wing of the palace dedicated to him, Felix also had a crib, a changing station, a refrigerator, and a rocking chair in our bedroom. At first I thought that was unnecessary, but the night we took him from the medical ward and laid him down to sleep in the nursery, I quickly found out that the baby furniture in our room was more necessary than our own bed. I needed to be near him, to protect him and keep him safe. Gumball and Marshall agreed whole-heartedly.

Even though he wasn't technically Marshall's son, Marshall acted like a first time father anyway. He kept his sleeping schedule so that he could be awake during the night to care for Felix. Gumball and I tried to tell him that it was alright, that he could sleep with us and we would take turns, but he demanded he take the night shift. He wanted all the time he could get with Felix.

Gumball wasn't much different. He wanted to be with Felix as much as he could, too, but he wasn't as protective as Marshall. He was warm and loving, and read to Felix, played with his toys, and always kept on me about having enough breast milk prepared for the baby.

I don't know if I was feeling a little left out, or if they really were taking up all of Felix's time, but when I had him, I treasured it. If I could, I would put on the baby harness and walk around with him strapped to my chest. Sometimes I would just carry him with me as we walked through the gardens or through the city. Everyone who came by made it a point to come up to us and tell me how handsome he was, how strong he must be. Everyone, and I mean _everyone_, was excited to meet the new prince.

About 4 months after his birth, he went through the ceremony of being crowned in front of the entire Candy Kingdom. The celebration lasted for 3 whole days. Marshall played in his band on the stairs to the palace, Gumball ordered a feast to be made for the whole city, and there was enough wine from the Wildberry Kingdom to get us all drunk for two weeks straight. Everyone enjoyed themselves, especially Marshall, Gumball and I. We were a big, happy family, and everyone saw that.

Despite the rumors and speculations, Marshall never once proved to be jealous of mine and Gumball's son. I don't think he even saw a separation between us. He saw Felix as his son just as much as Gumball's, and Gumball never grew greedy or protective of Felix. Somehow, against all odds, the three of us managed to pull off the perfect family.

As Felix grew, I started to notice his features shape more to be either mine or Gumball's. His hair was thick and grew a lighter shade of pink every day. He sat up on his own for the first time after 5 months, and after that, he constantly wanted to be sitting independently. It was the same for when he learned to crawl two months later. The three of us were delighted to watch him grow so fast. Well, six of us. Seeress, Sam and Cake all came down frequently to play with baby Felix, to watch him grow and help him develop. Sam and Gumball liked to talk about his developmental stages and what came next together, while Cake and Marshall took turns playing with him and his toys. Seeress and I liked to chat together in the two rocking chairs that sat in the corner of the nursery, where we would see everything. Well, where _I_ could see everything. She didn't need to see at all.

"Motherhood is quite different than you expected, is it not, Fionna?" she asked one day as we sat together, watching Felix crawl up and down the carpets, trying to figure out what toys he liked best.

I chuckled a little and tilted my head, smiling warmly. "Alright alright, you were right. I love being a mom. I thought it was all crying babies and dirty diapers, but this… this is so much better than anything I could ever ask for."

Her eyes stared blankly into the distance, as they usually did, a small smile on her lips. "Would you like to know your future?"

"My future? Or Felix's?" I asked, looking at her curiously.

"Ah, Fionna, you already know the fate of your son. He will grow to be a great king, and rule the kingdom justly, as his mother and father have done. You future has more surprises, though."

Her words sent a chill up my spine. Seeress has been a part of my life, guiding me and helping me for over 4 years. Her fortunes have never been wrong, but they haven't always been the brightest, either. "What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously.

Her eyes shifted slightly, her smile turning into a happy grin. "Oh no, that won't do," she said t herself, smiling big, almost giggling. "It seems that you'll have to find out on your own, this time."

I sat up in my chair and looked her in the face, searching for an answer. It didn't work. In all the time I've known her, only her words will give information away. "What? Come on, that's no fair! You can't just dangle that in my face and expect me to be okay with 'you'll have to find out on your own'!"

She just smiled, her white eyes peering into other worlds as they usually did. I sighed heavily and dropped my head, finding little Felix on the floor, tugging on my skirt, smiling up at me.

His flushed cheeks and curly pink hair framed his bright pink eyes perfectly. He had four little teeth in the middle of his big gummy smile, and a little dribble from his lunch on his chin. I leaned down and scooped him into my arm, tickling him and blowing raspberries onto his bare tummy. He squealed and giggled and squirmed in my arms, and I laid a hundred little kisses all over his face.

I held him close to me, rocking us gently together, knowing that it was getting close to his nap time. His eyes were getting lidded as his gentle sucked on his thumb, curled up in my lap.

"Will he really be a good king one day, like his father?" I asked her, knowing she was watching us somehow.

"No, not like his father. He will be a great ruler, like his mother." Her big smile took up her childish face again as she watched his future before her eyes.

Felix slowly nodded off to sleep in my arms, cupped against my breast. Suddenly, The Seeress lost her smile and cocked her head slightly in the other direction, as if she was listening for something. "It seems you have important business, Fionna," she said, standing up and turning to me. She held out her arms and smiled warmly at us, her eyes still focused on whatever was coming. "Let me lay the prince down in his crib. They need you."

I stood up with her and gently laid Felix in her arms. She cradled him close before tenderly laying him down in his crib. He had been fast asleep. Not even an earth quake could wake him.

Cake burst through the door, out of breath and panting, looking frantically around for me. "Fionna!" she whispered harshly, stretching over to me. "It's time to go, sugar. We got a monster terrorizing a village in the mountains! They need our help!"

My heart leapt as she spoke. It felt like it had been years since my last adventure, but I suppose I was grateful for the time off of hero business after all that happened with the Lich. I could feel my muscles screaming at me, telling me to get my butt in gear and get dressed, but my heart was telling me to stay, to protect the baby.

"What about Felix, Cake? I can't just leave him!"

"Girl, that child has the protection of the entire Candy Kingdom guard. And the Vampire King. And probably the Queen of the Nightosphere! You got nothing to worry about. You have to leave him sometime, baby," she said, each word making more and more sense.

I thought hard about it, really hard. This trip wouldn't take longer than a day. Nothing would happen in a day. And Marshall and Gumball _would_ be here.

"Alright Cake, I'll go. Where's my bunny hat?" I asked, getting revved up and beyond excited. I didn't realize how much I craved adventure.

"I got your bunny hat right here, Fi." She held out my old hat in her paws. I didn't wear it as much as I used to, because now it had less meaning and more symbolism. It was my hero's hat, not the thing that connected me to my parents. Billy and Katherine would always be in my heart, and that was good enough for me.

I grabbed the hat and stuffed my long blonde hair into it, strapping it tight under my chin.

"A safe journey awaits you, my queen," said Seeress as she bowed to me. I shot her a big, excited smile, hugged her and leaned over the crib to kiss Felix on the cheek.

"Watch over him for me, Seeress. I'll be back soon!" I called behind me as Cake and I rushed to the doors of the nursery. I looked back to see her nod, laying her hand gently on the edge of the crib.

With kisses and wishes of a safe journey from Marshall and Gumball, as well as a wardrobe change into my familiar stockings, t-shirt, skirt and backpack equipped with my sword, we were off and on our way.

Never before had I ever questioned going on a mission. Saving people had always been my first priority. Now that I was a mom, I had to think things over. People would always need me as their hero, and I would never abandon them, but my son, my Felix, he would always need me first.

And really, I was okay with that.


	7. Chapter 7: Irresistable

Things seemed to finally be settling into a natural rhythm again. Cake and I went on adventures, though not as many as we used to. I was still considered the Hero of Aaa, as well as the Candy Queen and the mother of Prince Felix, and I was beyond grateful for that. One of my biggest fears when I got myself into this mess was the fear that I wouldn't be able to handle doing everything, like being a queen _and_ a hero. And a mother! That was most terrifying of all.

Gumball fell into the beat of being a full time king, as well as a full time dad. If I was out on a mission, he and Felix were practically inseparable. That is, unless Marshall took him for the day to do whatever Marshall liked to do. No matter where Felix was or who he was with, he was always looked after and cared for constantly.

Of course, even though we all fell into our separate grooves, we still managed to spend time together as a complete family. We would spend most of our time together in the nursery, watching Felix wobble on his unsteady legs or mumble his cute, incomprehensible words as he played with his toys.

"Can you believe it's been 10 months?" Gumball asked one night while we were all together in the nursery. Marshall was floating in the air, rocking the sleeping prince in his arms, while I sat in Gumball's lap on the floor.

"No, not at all. I feel like he's been with us for a lifetime, like we've known him forever," I said, leaning my head back on Gumballs shoulder. His fingers played gently in the folds of my gown, the one I wore when we met with the more casual members of upper society. I hated corsets and floofy dresses, so when I had the chance to wear the loose, silky ones, I almost rejoiced.

Marshall laid a small kiss on Felix's forehead and floated down to the crib, laying him in it gracefully and pulling the spidersilk blanket over him. "You guys make really cute kids, you know that?" Marshall stated in hushed tones as he floated towards us. He laid down on the floor, his head in my lap, and closed his eyes as I began to play with his hair.

"Just imagine what kind of monsters Marshall could make," Gumball said playfully, poking Marshall in the cheek.

"Hey now, my kids would be so freaking cute that they could melt hearts _and_ faces. Come on, just think about it, Gummy. My eyes and hair, and probably my skin, and my vampire teeth, and my sexy facial structure, and my hot bod and—"

"Gee, Marshall, at this rate you won't even need me to mother your kids. They'll just spawn from your hotness," I joked, rustling his hair.

He grabbed my hand and kissed my palm, tilting his head back so he could look at me as he did. Then he flipped over, sitting on his hands and knees, his face an inch away from mine. "Now don't be ridiculous, Fi. If we had a daughter, she would definitely have your tantalizing curves and enchanting smile." He grinned his devilish grin, sending shock waves of lust through my body, his eyes trapping mine.

Gumballs hands slowly fell down my body, outlining the curves of my breasts and hips as he went and burying his face in my neck. "He's right, you know. You _do_ have tantalizing curves…"

I took a big gulp and wiggled out from between them. I've been with them for 5 years now, and I knew _exactly_ where this was going. "Come on, guys, have a little decency. We're in the _nursery_."

They both chuckled and stood up, holding hands and getting really close to each other. "We could always go… _elsewhere_… if you prefer, your majesty," Marshall teased, getting behind Gumball and gently nibbling his ear.

I felt my face go hot as I watched Gumball go limp against Marshall's touch. I took a deep breath to steady myself, then said, "Fine, but if you're going to play those games, you should have picked an easier opponent."

Marshall smiled wide, enticed with the thought of making this a game. Gumball snapped back to reality, looking a little worried that he wasn't as competitive as the two of us. "What be your terms, my Queen?" Marshall asked, giving me a mock bow.

"You two give me ten minutes, and in that ten minutes I'm going to hide. If you can't find me, then I win, and I get to do whatever I want to you. But, if one of you finds me, then he's the winner, and he gets bedroom rights tonight. Deal?" I crossed my arms, trying to look tall and powerful with my chin up, but they both saw right through me.

With amazing quickness, Marshall darted over behind me and leaned in so close to my ear that I could feel his warm breath against it. "Then you better start running, Fionna."

I didn't hesitate. I bent down and tore the bottom off my dress, as was my habit, and took off running, a big smile on my face. I heard Gumball stifle a groan about me abusing my clothing, but I just giggled to myself.

I ran as fast as I could, which, I admit, was pretty fast. I darted past Peppermint Maid, who had a look of disdain on her face, past the lab where Sam was quietly relaxing and reading the newest issue of Scientist Weekly, past the mirror room where The Seeress watched over all of time, and past our bedroom, which I knew would be the first place they both looked. Instead, I ran right out the back doors, down the stairs of the terrace, and past the kingdom walls.

I only had 2 minutes left, but I knew where I was going. Just outside the kingdom walls there was a small, unusually warm lake that hid behind some bushes and trees. It was a little outlet off the Candy River, so the water was as sweet as it was warm. Even if they couldn't find me, at least I would be able to bathe in the moonlight. I sprinted through the tall grass, straight for the woods, ending up at the small lake with moments to spare. Quickly, I threw off what was left of my gown and underthings, and slid myself in. Marshall had crazy good hearing, so a splash wasn't the best way to go.

The water felt amazing as it enveloped my body, and the glint of the moon on the tiny, lapping waves made the lake seem magical. I went under the water completely, letting the warm water flow around me and the light of the moon guide me. Even if they _could_ find me, they wouldn't want to leave.

I must have lost track of time, because one minute I closed my eyes and floated in the lake, and the next minute I heard, "Gotcha!" from Gumball as he wrapped his naked arms around me. He startled me enough to make me squeal, forcing me out of my floating position and onto my feet on the sandy, watery ground of the lake.

"Holy cow, Gumball! How'd you find me?!" I whispered harshly to him, taking in his wet, naked frame in the moonlight.

"I have my ways," he said mysteriously, leaning down to give me a sweet, warm kiss.

I kissed him back tenderly, molding my lips and my body to his. He wrapped his arms around me, resting his hands on the very bottom of the small of my back. "Where's Marshall?" I asked as I pulled away.

He looked around him, slightly confused for a moment, until suddenly, out of the shadows, we both heard, "CANNON BALL!" followed by a huge splash.

"There he is," Gumball said, his face looking unamused.

I just giggled and turned around, seeing Marshall rise from the depths of the lake, his wet hair covering half of his face and only leaving his fanged smile to glint in the moonlight. I sent a huge splash at him, making him duck back into the water to avoid it. He was only under for a moment before he sprung back up, sending a wave straight for us.

With quickness and cunning, I dodged his meager attack. Unfortunately for Gumball, he didn't. Marshall and I stood laughing uncontrollably as Gumball wiped the water from his face, sprinkling it out of his thick, now spikey, pink hair. "Awww, Bubba! Did I get you all wet?" Marshall teased, sauntering as best he could in the water over to Gumball.

"I could have done without the shower, Marshall," Gumball said in a stern voice, trying to fix his hair.

Marshall slinked up to him, crashing his lips into Gumball's with a hunger and passion like it was his signature. Instantly Gumball's displeasure melted away, and he pressed his body hard against Marshalls. It was like that was his plan all along, that sneaky bastard. Marshall forced the two of them up the bank of the lake, pressing Gumball tightly against the moss-covered stone that made a sort of make-shift wall to the lake. The water swayed and sloshed gently against their legs, only going up to their knees.

For a moment I watched them together, Marshall's fingers entwining themselves in Gumballs' hair, Gumball grasping Marshalls' back to pull him against himself. Then, when my body became hot with need and I couldn't resist the urge to join them, I waded my way through the water towards them, crawling between them and sitting on the sandy back, my face aligning perfectly with their hips. They knew I was there, but they didn't stop their steamy kiss to notice my hands raise up to their hardened lengths, gripping both of them gently.

I used the water to slide my hands up and down their shafts in perfect harmony, listening to them moan into each other's kiss. Gradually, I picked up the pace, feeling them get harder and hotter in my hands. Marshall gripped Gumballs hair tighter, moving his frantic lips to the kings neck, biting into him with his fangs, slowly draining the color. I brought both of their members together in front of me, and lightly licked their tips. Both of their bodies reacted, Marshall already trying to pump his hips and Gumball slightly melting at the feel. I engulfed them both the best I could, sucking and licking, until finally I took turns on them, going back and forth between them, stroking them with a steady, fast rhythm. Gumball let out soft cries of pleasure, and Marshall took my head in his hand, trying to force himself as deep inside my mouth as he could get. Marshall _always_ wanted more, and Gumball always enjoyed what he had.

I licked and flicked their tips together, playing with them, teasing them, until finally Marshall had had enough. He broke from Gumball, swooped down and scooped me up, and shot us straight up again. He crushed his hips against mine, trying to slip inside my wet slit, holding my ass tightly for leverage. I wrapped my legs and arms around him, biting hard onto his shoulder, making him want it even more. Gumball pressed himself against my back, his hard, wet member slipping between my cheeks. With one hand, he first guided Marshall inside of me, ending his reign of impatience, and then guided himself into my other hole, before placing both hands on my breasts. I gasped as they entered me, the feel of them both inside of me exciting me beyond belief.

Together they pumped their hips back and forth, making it seem like as one pushed in the other pushed out. Marshall tried to keep a slow pace, to wait for Gumball to loosen me up, but he lost his patience. He slammed into me, hard and fast, using the rising tide of the lake to balance me. With every thrust it seemed like the water got higher, until it was up to our waists. I screamed out my pleasure as both of them barreled into me, leaning heavily on Gumball as he nibbled my neck and hooked his arms under Marshalls, pinning us all together. Marshall leaned over and bit gently into my shoulder, his fangs just barely breaking the skin, as he panted and moaned into me and I cried out in ecstasy.

Gumball picked up his rhythm until he, too, was thrusting into me as fast as he could. Soon, I couldn't even keep track of who was doing what. I was lost in this sea of lust and hunger and need and pleasure. I felt that warmth slowly building again, the sounds of their skin crashing into mine and the sharp slap of the water as it splashed between us making my head spin. I raked my nails into Marshall's chest and moaned my pleasure into Gumball's lips, begging them to go harder, faster. Gumball began to lose his rhythm and his pace, thrusting erratically, adding to the building warmth and pressure inside of me. Marshall gripped me even tighter, his fingers digging into my skin, forcing my body onto his as he pounded into me.

The warmth finally overflowed, raking through my body with waves of ecstasy crashing into me. I threw my arms behind me and gripped Gumball's hair as hard as I could, holding onto him as my body bucked and tried to squirm between them. Neither of them stopped, though. They kept thrusting hard and fast, making the climax even more intense. Just as the mind-numbing waves of warmth and lust started to become too much, Gumball screamed into my shoulder, releasing himself deep inside of me. Marshall, overwhelmed by the contracting of my body, held me tightly to him, forcing himself as deep inside of me as he could go, before he, too, spilled himself inside of me.

Marshall let go of my thighs, letting me sort of stand, held up between the two of them. They were still inside of me, but slowly grew softer, until eventually, they both slipped out. My legs were like jelly and my toes were numb, and the moment Gumball backed away, I practically fell into the lake, panting and giggling.

Gumball sat in the water, too, letting the gentle waves lap at his chest. Marshall floated on the top of the water, his hands behind his head like he was bathing in the moonlight. When our breathing calmed and we could speak without having to stop to pant, Marshall sat up, floating on the top of the water with his legs crossed.

"Looks like I won," he said, his mischievous smile lighting up his face.

"What?! You didn't win anything, Marshall. I was waiting for you guys for, like, an hour." Okay, so I was exaggerating. Just a little

"Actually, you're both wrong. I won. It took me 6 minutes and 34 seconds to find Fionna, and Marshall appeared shortly after," Gumball corrected us, flicking the water with his fingers in every direction.

I stood up and waded over to him, sitting back down on his lap, facing him and straddling him. He lightly gripped my sore cheeks, running his hands up and down them and the small of my back gently. "So what would my king desire for his winnings?" I asked, laying gentle kisses on his cheek and neck.

"I demand that, next time, I'm in the middle," he said in a hushed, heavy tone.

"As my king wishes," Marshall whispered, coming up and sitting behind Gumball, following my lead and nibbling on his neck.

The warm water surrounded us, wrapping us up in what seemed to be our own little universe of just each other. As the moon grew high and the night grew colder, we made love together in the moonlight and in the sweet warmth of the lake, until early morning, when we returned to our bed, beyond exhausted.


	8. Chapter 8: Surprise!

Another year passed as we grew as a family. Felix was walking, running, climbing, and getting into everything that you could possibly think of and more. It only took a fraction of a second of not watching him, and he would disappear into some depth of the castle that no one knew existed. Marshall didn't really help this behavior, because he _loved_ playing hide-and-go-seek with him.

Felix was at the age where it was important to start implementing discipline, telling him what was okay to do and what wasn't. The only problem was Felix had his daddies wrapped around his little fingers, and his mommy had no defense strategies against his perfect little smile. He had total rule of the palace, and we all knew it. Still, he was a good boy. We didn't have to tell him "no" often, and he understood when we became upset.

Gumball had already hired tutors for him. When I say "tutors", I mean men and women of extraordinary academic and scholarly achievements. Seriously, these people could have better spent their time curing diseases or opening portals in space, but they instead came to the Candy Kingdom to teach our not-yet-2 year old son math, physics, gardening, economics, science, and even lost languages. I asked Gumball why he had such smart people come to teach our toddler, but that was a mistake. He went on and on about how a prince should be educated and learned and versed in this and that and the other thing.

Marshall wasn't much better, though. His one demand was that he was in charge of music teachers. Apparently, Felix was going to be the rock star prince. The poor child couldn't actually comprehend anything anyone was teaching him, but Cake and I just laughed at how determined they were to make Felix this musically inclined and supremely educated master of everything ever.

Just after Felix's second birthday—which, mind you, was the biggest celebration in all of the history of Aaa—Gumball was called away to a meeting of kings that took place all the way in the Cloud Kingdom. It was going to be a four month meeting, though what they could possibly need four months for was beyond me. Marshall and I kissed him goodbye and wished him luck, and told him to call us whenever he could. While he was gone, I was in charge of all of the royal duties, which, thankfully, I was getting used to doing.

Despite being totally happy together as the three of us, it was nice that Marshall and I got to spend some alone time together. The greatest thing about having two lovers was that no "private time" was ever the same, and Marshall was quick to prove that in the weeks we had alone together.

Everything was going just fine, save for the minor disputes I had to solve, until one morning when I woke up to the very familiar sensation of needing my head in the toilet. As soon as I was done dispelling last night's dinner and brushing my teeth, I threw on a t-shirt and stormed my way to The Seeress's mirror room.

"Have you found out then, M'lady?" Seeress asked sweetly before I even walked through the door.

"You've got to be kidding me! _This_ is what you meant by surprises in my future?" I whined, my head racing with thoughts and worry.

She just smiled playfully, totally amused by my reaction. "You would have changed your fate if you had known before. I see you as much happier this way."

"Happier?! Are you joking? The last time I was pregnant my son nearly killed me with pain alone!" I yelled, pacing back and forth in front of her mirrors, trying not to imagine my big huge belly again.

"Have I ever been wrong, Fionna Pure Heart?" she asked sweetly, moving her long, chocolate hair out of her face. She had her bandages around her white eyes, though she could still clearly see everything that was happening.

I stopped my pacing and took a few deep breaths to calm myself. She was right, and I couldn't argue with her. She was _always_ right. And, to be totally honest, in the back of my head I'd been considering having another prince or princess for the Candy Kingdom. "No, you've never been wrong," I shamefully admitted, dropping my head and sitting on her useless bed. She never slept. Or ate. Or did anything remotely _normal_, so I had to question why the bed and the furniture were even there.

"Ah, so she admits it. Good, now that that's settled, would you like to hear your future?" She cocked her head towards me, her small pale hands clasped at her waist.

I sighed deeply, pinching the part of my nose between my eyes. "Just tell me if it'll be a happy, healthy baby, like Felix."

"Yes, quite happy, quite healthy," she said, smiling big and wide. There was something about the way she said it… something that I was missing. "You know who the father is, don't you, Fionna?"

I looked up at her, still, even after all these years, bewildered by her sense of maturity in such a young body. "Yeah, I know."

"Then perhaps you should tell him?" she suggested, turning back to fully focus on her mirrors.

I took that as a sign to leave. I had a nasty habit of walking in on her while she was overlooking worlds, and she wasn't always appreciative of my company. I nodded, thanked her, and left.

The walk back to my bedroom was a thoughtful one. How would they react to me being pregnant again? Would they be ready to be second-time fathers? Was I ready to have _two_ babies?

Of course I was! I was Fionna the Human! I could handle two kids…

Right?

I walked into our bedroom, not trying to be subtle or quiet, and practically stomped over to Marshall in the bed. With one quick jab, I punched him in the arm. He shot right out of bed, holding his bruised bicep gingerly, cursing under his breath and growling at me.

"What the lump, Fi? What the hay was that for?!" he hissed, rubbing his arm.

"It was for you knocking me up! I'm pregnant again!" I hissed back, crossing my arms and looking angry. To tell the truth, I couldn't decide if I really was mad, or if I was too excited to react any other way.

As my words sunk in, Marshalls face slowly lit up. His smile stretched ear to ear as he let out excited, disbelieving sounds of triumph. He darted right into me, wrapping me tightly in his arms and swinging us around in circles. When he stopped, he pulled me away and held me in front of him, partly to keep me in place and partly because I was too dizzy to stand straight on my own. "Are you serious, Fi? Really?" I nodded and smiled, and he hugged me close again. Then, he dropped to his knees on the floor and laid both hands on my belly. "We're going to call her Ember," he said, laying gentle kisses on my shirt.

I ran my fingers through his soft long hair, smiling down at him. "Who said it would be a girl? And who said you get to name her?"

He hugged my belly as he spoke gently. "I just always knew I would have a little girl." Then, he gave my tummy one last kiss and stood up, taking my hands in his. "And since Gummy named his son, I want to name my daughter. With your permission, of course, your majesty," he said, bowing slightly.

I just giggled and hugged him tight, kissing him lightly on the neck. "Alright, if it's a girl, you can name her Ember. I kind of like that name, anyway," I whispered, smiling into his neck.

We held each other like that for a few moments, enjoying the embrace, before Marshall pulled away, unbearable excitement filling his eyes. "When are we going to tell Bubba?"

"Let's wait until he gets home. If I'm showing by then, it'll be a nice surprise, don't you think?" I winked at him, jokingly rubbing my imaginary huge belly.

Marshall shook his head, chuckling at my silliness, and scooped me into his arms. "Glob, I am so happy, Fionna," he said, snuggling into me. I laid a passionate, loving kiss on his lips, and he greedily responded.

He set us on the bed, and we spent the rest of the morning together, making love and talking about our daughter.

* * *

Gumball came home two and a half months later, all smiles and sunshine. The first thing he did was find Felix and smother him in kisses and snuggles. It was after Felix and squealed and screamed "Dadda!" a dozen times that Gumball looked up to see Marshall and I standing right in front of him, holding hands.

Still holding Felix, he came up to us and gave us the best one-armed hug he could. Felix latched onto Marshall when Gumball got close, and Marshall gladly held Felix on his hip.

"Glob, I missed my family," Gumball sighed as he kissed me and Marshall. "That meeting was entirely unnecessary, at _best_. I mean, who needs to talk about a national militia in times of peace? It was totally a waste of time."

"I don't know, I think it would be a good idea to have an organized military _somewhere_, just in case things or people like the Lich come back," I said, trying to comfort him in his grieving for his lost time.

He started unbuttoning his jacket, slipping it down his shoulders and arms. "A good idea, sure, but in practicality, it'll only bring trouble. You get back what you put out, and if we put out an army, we're going to get a war," he said grimly, displeased with the king's decision.

I cupped his face in my hand and leaned up on my toes to kiss him gently. "And if that's true, then we'll be here to fight. It's better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it."

"So! Speaking of uncomfortable topics that totally kill the mood," Marshall interrupted, bouncing Felix on his hip as Felix tried to yank on Marshall's hair. "Bubba, do you notice anything different? Different about… Fionna?"

I blushed brightly, totally unprepared for that kind of an introduction. My belly was only slightly expanded, since I was just over three months pregnant. There was no way he would notice. Still, Gumball eyed me suspiciously up and down, not sure where to look.

"Did you… cut your hair?" he asked me, a little confused.

I grabbed a lock of my hair and started playing with it, still blushing and trying not to look entirely uncomfortable. "No… not exactly," I said shyly.

Suddenly I felt his warm hand on my tummy, and I knew that he had figured it out. "Are you… are you _pregnant_ again?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yeap!" Marshall exclaimed, giddy with excitement. "And guess whose it is this time!" he demanded.

Gumball shifted and moved in front of Marshall, his face looking like it was all over the place. "You got Fionna pregnant? Marshall, that's—well, I'm not really sure what to think…"

Marshalls face fell instantly. He leaned down to put Felix on his feet and let him run around. "What do you mean you don't know what to think, Gummy? Aren't you excited?"

I walked up behind Gumball and laid my hand on his shoulder, positioning myself between them. "Of course I'm excited! I just… wasn't expecting it is all…"

"You're jealous that it isn't yours, aren't you, you greedy bastard?" Marshall asked, jokingly. Gumball blushed and turned his head away sheepishly.

"I just love how you guys are conspiring to knock me up with your royal spawns," I said sarcastically, feeling more like a playing piece in chess than a person.

"I'm sorry, Fionna. I didn't mean any disrespect. I had just been thinking about how wonderful it would be to have another little Felix running around, that's all," Gumball said, shamefaced.

"We _will_ have another Felix running around. It'll just be a little vampire. And a girl. Named Ember. Or, at least, that's what Marshall thinks," I said, trying to soothe him.

"That's what Marshall _knows_," Marshall corrected, coming up and holding Gumball's hand. "I know what you're feeling, Bubba. I get it. But it'll wear off soon. Just remember, you're going to be Ember's daddy as much as I'm Felix's daddy." As insensitive as Marshall could be, I was surprised to see him act this way. I expected him to lash out in a jealous rage when Gumball admitted that he wanted another candy child, but instead, Marshall showed empathy and kindness.

Gumball started to smile, letting the thought sink in and gripping Marshall's hand tightly, wrapping his arm around my waist. "Well, either way, I am more than excited to meet my new daughter," he said, swallowing his pride and being happy for Marshall.

We spent the rest of the night catching up and telling Gumball all about little Felix's accomplishments, as well as my crazy pregnancy tendencies that had come back full force. As we talked, in the back of my head I thought about Gumball's reaction. He reacted the way I thought Marshall would when Felix was born. I never expected to see jealousy rear its ugly head at Gumball. But Gumball was kind-hearted and never took things too personally. I could understand why he might have been a little jealous. It was a big deal, especially because after this, I was done having children. Gumball would mold into the other father figure in this baby's life, just like Marshall molded into Felix's life. That's just how we worked. We were the royal candy family.

We could overcome anything.


	9. Chapter 9: Prophecy

As the months went on, I noticed that this pregnancy was nothing like the last one. Sure, I still had ridiculous nightmares and crazy cravings, but certain smells didn't make me sick, and I wasn't upchucking last night's dinner every morning. It seemed… easier. And I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because this was my second baby, or maybe it was because it was a different father. Who knew? I wasn't going to challenge it, though. I rather enjoyed digesting dinner.

Felix grew more curious by the day about the baby in my belly. When I was 7 months along and my belly was so massive that I looked like a blimp, Felix would ask me questions nonstop about his new sibling.

"Mommy! Why can't Baby come now?" he asked in his high, cute voice. We were having a picnic in the gardens, just him and I. His bright pink eyes gazed up at me, a whole universe within them full of questions waiting to be answered.

"The baby isn't ready to come out, sweetie. Baby still needs to grow some more," I explained softly, wiping the jam off his soft face.

He seemed to think about it for a minute, looking down and fiddling with his sweater. "Is Baby going to be as big as your tummy, Mommy?" he asked sweetly, rubbing both of his small, chubby hands on my round belly.

I just giggled, picking up his hands and kissing them gently. "No, Baby's going to be very, very small. Smaller than you!"

He pulled his hands away and used them to crawl up next to me, to cuddle into me and lay is small arm across my belly. "Smaller than Daddy Gumball's cupcakes?" he asked, his head lain gently against his arm on my tummy.

I stroked his think pink hair and smiled down at him, admiring how smart my little boy had become. "No, I think Baby's going to be bigger than cupcakes," I said, mindlessly fiddling with the part in his hair.

"Is Baby going to be a boy like me?" he asked, his pink eyes shifting up momentarily to look at me.

"Maybe. We don't know what Baby's going to be. But Daddy Marshall thinks it's going to be a little girl. Would you like a little sister, Felix?"

He instantly wiggled out of his position, awkwardly, and shifted himself to look right into my face. "A little sister! I want a little sister! Then I can show her all my toys and me and her can make Mommy and Daddies some paintings!" he cried, his little face bright with excitement.

I chuckled and scooped him up into my arms, planting little kisses all over his face and hair. "Mommy and Daddies would love paintings from you and your little sister," I said after his giggling subsided.

He slid down my body, back to where he was against my side, and laid his head on my tummy again. "Mommy? I love you."

"I love you, Felix. Forever."

* * *

A month later, I was waddling down the hall towards the library to find a book to read to Felix. It was his bedtime, and he'd grown into the habit of refusing to sleep unless I or one of his daddies read him a bed time story. At first I tried reading the stories that Mom used to read Cake and I, but after getting a few pages in I quickly learned that those stories were never meant for children.

As I passed the lab, I heard a familiar voice call out to me. "Fionna! Fionna, wait, could you come in here?"

I stopped in my tracks and turned around, gliding through the doors into the massive laboratory filled with beakers upon beakers of chemicals and shelves and rows of equipment and experiments. This was Sam's domain, and if I knew anything about Sam, it was that she only ever left this room for food and sleep.

"What's up, Sam?" I asked, plopping myself into the nearest chair. Even though the effects of pregnancy weren't as bad this time, it seemed like I had a lot more pain, like this baby was heavier than Felix.

"It's nothing important, really. I was just seeing how you've been fairing lately," she said, setting down a set of beakers and taking off her goggles to look at me. She leaned against a counter, stuffing her gloved hands into her lab coat pockets.

"Oh! I've been alright. Just taking it day by day until the baby comes," I said, smiling at her. She was like the mother figure of the palace. Marshall had practically cut off all communication with his mother, and when Ice Queen turned back to Sam, he clung to her like a child to his long lost teddy bear. She was the guiding light in his life, besides Gumball and I. And I understood why. She was very caring and kind, and never had a bad word to say.

She smiled back warmly at me, pushing off the counter to come up behind me and start braiding my obnoxiously long hair. "You're looking beautiful as always, Fionna," she said, twisting my hair this way and that gently. "And I see that you've grown exponentially in the last few months. Larger, even, than when you were pregnant with Felix."

There it was. Her scientific observation. She always had one. "So you noticed too, huh? This one doesn't just _look_ bigger, it _feels_ bigger, too. And heavier."

Just then, The Seeress glided in, carrying a bowl of steamy water that smelled like it had flower petals in it. Sam put my hair down and scooted out from behind me, walking over to Seeress and smiling brightly. "Oh, thank you, Seeress! This water will be perfect for—"

_CLASH!_

The sound of the bowl crashing to the ground and breaking was nearly earth-shattering. Maybe it was because the lab was the worst place to drop a container of liquid, or maybe it was because it was so unexpected, but it startled me out of my seat. I looked at Seeress, confused, but her face seemed… distant. Her bandages were over her eyes, so I couldn't see what they were looking at. Something was happening.

I waddled over to her and laid my hands on her shoulders, my feet getting wet with the warm, sweet smelling water, as I peered down into her face. "Seeress? What's wrong? What do you see?"

It was like she entirely reverted back to the way she was; her childish face was stone, her voice was flat and poetic, her body cold and stiff. "The shadows dawn from here upon to take him back where he belongs. Two children instead will be lured and led to the place of darkness where evil is bred."

It was like my heart was crushed to dust and blown away as I listened to her recite her prophecy. I knew, without a doubt, that she was talking about my children. My face fell still and my arms dropped to my side as my mouth hung open and my mind raced with terrible, horrible thoughts.

"Fionna? Fionna, sweetie, you need to sit down," I heard Sam's kind voice say from behind me. It sounded like we were in water, like she was far away from me, like everything and everyone was far away from me.

A sharp pain struck in my tummy, and I doubled over, trying to hold myself together. Sam's warm hands were on me, trying to keep me up, her voice trying to soothe me and tell me to go sit down.

"No! I need to know! I need to know what she saw!" I yelled, forcing myself to stand up and bore my eyes into The Seeress.

The girl slowly unwrapped the bandages on her eyes, revealing the white nothingness beneath them. They shifted just slightly to look in my direction, before she spoke. "I see an army of shadows coming in 7 years' time. An army meant to conquer a king. You will be forced to make a very difficult decision, Fionna."

I looked her over frantically, searching for something else, anything else that would give me more information. "Who? Who's bringing the army? If I can find out who, I can take them down early, before that time comes!"

The Seeress looked down in shame, looking almost confused. "I—I'm sorry, Fionna Pure Heart. I have no windows into that domain. Whoever it is has blocked my view. They know of me being here. All I can see is the fate of Aaa."

"Then what decision will I be forced into? What will I have to decide?" I cried, holding my belly protectively.

"I… am being blocked from that, as well. All I see is blame and hatred from your decision. Whatever it is, it will end your reign of happiness…"

As if on their own, my eyes moved to the floor, still searching for answers while my mind swirled with terror and anxiety. There has _never_ been a world, a dimension that she couldn't see. So why now? Who could possibly have the kind of power to block her out? And who would want my children? Or Gumball?

"Fionna, I—" Sam tried, still holding onto my arms to keep me upright.

"Can you help me to Felix's room, Sam?" I interrupted, not wanting to talk about it that moment. "I just… want to be with my son…"

Sam nodded and intertwined her fingers with mine, walking us out of the lab. The Seeress just stood there, looking sad and ashamed for being able to see a prophecy but nothing more.

We were silent as we walked down the hall hand in hand. I could tell that Sam wanted to comfort me, to talk to me and tell me it would be okay, but I don't think I could have handled it. I was just told that my children were going to be lured into darkness, into a place where evil breeds, in 7 years. How was I supposed to cope with that? How was I supposed to fight it, or prevent it?

My mind raced with thoughts and plans of action. I could go the safest route and never let my kids leave the palace, but if I did that, they would end up sheltered and probably hate me for never letting them go. I could go on a world-wide campaign and personally find out who has a vendetta against us, but that could take years, and there was almost no guarantee I would find a good lead. I could hire spies to find out for me, but I might run into the same problem as just going by myself.

Or, I could prepare. If Seeress couldn't see who it was because they were stopping her, then it's because they were determined to make this go through. It was a prophecy, not a what-if. Gumball _did_ agree with the other kings that a national army should be put together. I could use that!

I chuckled to myself, a sad, low sound, and grinned slightly.

"What's so funny, Fi?" Sam asked as we neared Felix's room.

"Gumball was right," I said, stopping at the door and peering into the small child's bedroom. "You get back what you put out. They made an army, and now we're faced with war." I turned to Sam and hugged her, her face still a little confused at what I said, but happy that I had found something to smile about, no matter how dark it was. "Thanks, Sam," I said, then turned to slip into Felix's room quietly and shut the door behind me.

The room was dark except for the revolving night light Sam made that made images of stars and moons on the walls and ceilings. Felix seemed to be asleep, so I crept over to his bed, lifted the blankets, and snuggled in beside him. I wrapped my arms around him and gently wept into his sweet smelling hair, overwhelmed with everything that just happened.

"Mommy, are you sad?" I heard his small voice ask. He didn't turn to look at me, he just laid his little hand on my arm and petted me, so I held him closer.

"No, sweetie, Mommy's not sad. She just missed you is all," I said, trying to sound as convincing as a child would need me to be. I turned my head to wipe the tears onto the pillow, regaining my composure.

"Mommy? Will you tell me that story again? The one about the bad wizard?" He turned his head slightly to look at me, a questioning, intelligent gaze peering at me.

I held him close against my big belly, the feeling of his small body wrapped in my arms giving me more comfort than I could imagine. "Of course, honey. Once upon a time, before you or me or your daddies were born, there lived a lonely man in the middle of a war. Just as the man thought everything was done and over with, a huge explosion hit, and it changed him forever. He was a very sad man, and he was practically the only person still alive. He lived for hundreds of years, gaining dark and evil power, power as dark and evil as his heart, and he became the Lich King. He did many, many bad things to many, many people. But then, just when his power was getting too strong, a hero appeared!"

"Grandpa Billy?" he interrupted. I could feel his little heart beating faster against my arms. This was his favorite part.

"Yes, Grandpa Billy. Grandpa Billy struck down the Lich, freezing him forever in a coffin of amber so that his evil could never hurt anyone again. But then, several years later, something happened. Somehow, a mysterious force freed him, and once again, he wreaked havoc on the world. He hid in the shadows and gained more power, trying hard to find his magical book called the Enchirideon. What he didn't know was that Grandpa Billy had it and gave it to someone very special."

"Uncle Finn!" he shouted, sitting up in bed with a big, bright smile on his face. I sat up with him and cradled him against my belly.

"That's right! And Uncle Finn and Uncle Jake used the Enchirideon to cast the evil Lich into another world, so he would stay away from Ooo and Aaa forever. But once more, the Lich was able to gain the power to come back, and to take Aaa for his own."

"And you and Daddy Gumball and Daddy Marshall and Auntie Seeress stopped him!" he squealed, his bright gaze penetrating my face with joy and amusement.

I laughed, genuinely laughed, and held him closer to me, rocking us gently. "Well, that's the short version, but you're right. We all played our part and stopped his evil. Now he can never come back, ever, and my little prince will rule a happy and safe kingdom when the time comes."

"And my sister too, Mommy! She'll rule the kingdom too!" he added, rubbing my belly.

"Yes, and your sister too. But for now, the little prince needs his sleep," I said, laying him down in his bed.

"Aw! But Mommy! I wanted to hear the ending!" he whined, crossing his arms in front of his chest stubbornly. He was definitely my boy.

I chuckled and laid a kiss on his forehead. "You already know the ending, silly boy. But how about tomorrow night I tell you a whole new story, about how Auntie Cake and Mommy saved the Fire King from the crazy Ice Queen?"

He yawned big and huge, pulling the blankets up to his chin and nodding to me, his eyes far too heavy to be awake much longer. "Okay, Mommy. I love you."

"I love you, Felix," I said, laying on my side and gently stroking his hair out of his face. Within minutes, the small boy had fallen into a deep sleep, tiny little snores escaping his lips.

I couldn't bring myself to leave just yet. I laid there next to him, watching his relaxed, childish face, thinking about the story I just told him. It was his favorite story of all, and he loved listening to the end, about how me and everyone else worked together to kill the Lich. I could remember every gruesome detail, all the way down to the look in his decrepit glowing eyes. It was the greatest, most dangerous thing I'd ever done, and sometimes I forgot just how hard it was.

But still, we did it. We came together and we did it. We defeated the greatest evil this world has ever known.

So why was I so worried about some no-name commander of a shadow army? What could they possibly do that would make me take my guard down long enough for them to hurt my kids?

I laid there, thinking about it, rolling it over and over in my head, and coming to no conclusions. After some time, I fell asleep next to my little boy, cuddling him into me, holding him close.

I dreamt of a huge wave from the ocean swallowing up all of Aaa, and each drop of water was a shadow creature, like the ones the Lich summoned. Amidst all of the panic and all of the mayhem, I saw the bright, shining eyes of my children as they smiled at me.

Right before they went to war.


	10. Chapter 10: Perfect

The baby was late. Two weeks late. The due date had come and gone, and still no broken water, no birthing pains, not even light contractions. I paced back and forth inside the palace, wondering what was wrong. Cake and Sam both assured me that any day, the baby would come. Just because Felix was early didn't mean that something was wrong this time.

Marshall tried to comfort me, but he was just as nervous. Gumball tried, too, but when it came to my children, not even his kind words could calm me down. Finally, after 17 days past the due date, I called in to Doctor Prince myself.

I laid on an uncomfortable bed in his hospital, convinced that since something was wrong, I needed to be in a totally medically centered environment. He came in and sat on a stool next to the bed, a nurse rolling in a bulky-looking machine with a bunch of buttons and an outdated looking screen on it.

"I understand that you're far past your due date, Queen Fionna. I'm going to do an ultrasound on you to see how the baby's doing. Would you like a curtain up so you can stay surprised?" he asked, a professional air about him.

I fidgeted uncomfortably on the bed, rubbing my ginormous round belly. Marshall leaned over from the side of the bed and took my hand, smiling at me. "Fi, we've waiting this long to find out about the baby. No point in ruining it now."

I took a big gulp and nodded my head. "Yes, a curtain would be great, Doctor Prince."

He acknowledged my desire and separated us from the view of the machine. Then, he slapped on some rubber gloves and held a bottle of gel-type stuff above my exposed belly. "This might be a little cold," he warned, squirting the gel all over my tummy. I flinched slightly at the iciness of it, but it quickly warmed to my own body temperature. Marshall leaned against the bed, his head resting near mine as he held my hand, whispering sweet assurances in my ear.

Doctor Prince pulled out this piece of machinery that resembled a plastic bar of soap with a sensor on the end of it and lightly touched it to my belly, smearing the gel around. "Oh my," he said, sounding a little more surprised than I was comfortable with. Actually, it was a lot more surprised than I was comfortable with. My heart began to race as I sat up, trying to look at his face. "Fionna, please lay back down. There's nothing to be worried about," he said, his composure back to its usual professional self. "The good news is that everything is going fine on the inside. The bad news is that you're ready to go into labor, but you won't be able to do it naturally. We'll need to… open you up."

"What?!" Marshall and I exclaimed together.

"We can get started right away, if you wish," he replied, not hearing the scared hostility in our voices.

"Wait! Why can't I do it naturally? What's wrong?!" I demanded, sitting up and letting my hospital gown fall over my sticky tummy.

"There's a… blockage inside, and it'll make it hard to give birth. There's nothing to be afraid of. We'll give you medicine that numbs the pain, and the entire procedure itself should take no more than an hour." His voice was calm and collected, like this was just another day at work.

My head spun and whirled with sickening thoughts of them pulling my baby out of my torn open stomach. I'd never had surgery before. Well, not _surgery_ surgery. I've been mauled and had bones broken and flesh cut and seared, and I needed plenty of things sewn up and patched together, but never have I ever needed something taken out of me.

"Fionna, it'll be alright. Bubba told me about this when you were pregnant with Felix. It happens all the time. I'll be right there with you," Marshall said, smiling next to me, his fangs gently poking his lips.

I took a few deep breaths and calmed myself, turning to Doctor Prince. "Let's do this, then," I said my voice sounding shakier than I would have liked.

Within minutes we were underway to the surgery ward of the hospital. They put me in a new gown, rolled me in a wheel chair down the corridors, had me prepped and primed for the scalpel, and even washed down my belly. Marshall came into the surgical room looking like a doctor, all dressed up in a teal hospital gown with a green hair cap holding in all his black hair and a white breathing mask covering his face. He had gloves around his hands and wrapping themselves over the wrists of his hospital gown. If not for the piercing red eyes and careless demeanor, I would have taken him for a nurse.

He took his place at the head of the bed, holding one of my hands and using his other hand to pull the hair that escaped my hair cap out of my face. The nurses threw up some sort of sheet that blocked us from view of everything below my breasts. My heart was beating wildly in my chest, and I kept swallowing back the vomit that wanted to come up from nervousness.

"Marshall? I'm worried. What if something's wrong?" I asked him anxiously as the nurses fluttered around us, setting up monitors and trays full of sharp shiny things. For once I was terrified of something sharp and shiny.

Marshall shushed me and stroked my face as best he could with his rubbery hands, talking through his mask. "Everything is going to be okay, Fionna. This baby has the strongest mother in all of Aaa, and one badass dad. She's going to make it. She'll be born a fighter."

I tried to let his words sink in, to convince myself that our baby will be born strong, but it wasn't working. Just then, someone barged through the door, the air changing immediately to panic and worry.

"Fionna? Fionna! Are you alright?" I heard Gumball's voice call as he rushed over to me.

"Sire! You can't be in here without the doctors permission and without the proper clothing!" a nurse scolded, following up quickly behind him.

He stopped next to Marshall, practically out of breath, searching my face frantically for any sign of abuse. "How are you feeling? Are they treating you alright? Can I do anything for you?" Gumball's questions spilled out like a waterfall of nervousness. It was enough to make me giggle.

"Gumball, I'm fine. I'm just a little worried. Doctor Prince said—"

"Your highness, I must ask you to leave this room immediately," Doctor Prince interrupted, his voice sounding a little peeved as he barged into the room with perfect timing.

Gumball turned to him, looking almost surprised that someone else was there with us. "I need to stay with her! She's my wife!"

"I have no problem with you being here, but you _must_ get dressed and cleaned up. You're contaminating this room just by being in here in those clothes," he said, sounding like a scolding father.

"Oh… oh! I'm so sorry! Yes, right away! I'll get dressed right away!" Gumball quickly turned to give me a kiss on the forehead and give Marshall a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be right back. Don't let them touch you until I return!" And with that, he darted out of the room.

Marshall chuckled to himself as he hung his head, watching Gumball so frantic in his actions. "Geez, that guy's more uptight than I am," he said, watching the doors swing back and forth from Gumballs' departure.

"Well, we can't all be as cool as you Marshall Lee," I said, trying to crack a joke.

Doctor Prince came around the curtain, even more decked out in doctor wear than Marshall, his hands up in the air like he was cradling sticks in his arms. "How are you feeling, your highness?" he asked, his brown eyes peeking out from his mask and hair coverings.

"I'm ready to meet my baby," I said, trying as hard as I could to sound confident.

"That's wonderful to hear. Alright, we'll get started. I'll be just on the other side of this curtain. If something feels wrong, tell me immediately. We're going to start by injecting the numbing medicine into your belly, and after a few minutes of it settling into your blood stream, we'll begin, alright?" I knew he was trying to sound calming, but everything he just said made me want to pee myself.

All I could do was nod, looking like a scared deer. He then stepped around the curtain, leaving Marshall and I alone behind the curtain of protection.

"Okay, Fionna, you're going to feel a little pinch here…" Doctor Prince said, right before that horrifying needle pierced my skin. All I could think about was if he was poking the baby with that, but within seconds I felt my whole body go lax, then everything from my chest to my hips go numb. I knew the medicine wasn't supposed to go to my brain, but I suddenly felt a lot more relaxed and fuzzy brained.

Gumball slid in quietly, probably noticing the gigantic needle Doctor Prince was holding, and crept over to the two of us behind the curtain. "Fionna, are you doing alright?" he whispered, his pink eyes full of anxiety as he clutched my hand against his chest. He looked like he was the one having the baby, not me.

I nodded and smiled lazily at him, feeling light but heavy under the feel of the medicine. "They already injected her, Bubba, so she's not going to be responsive," Marshall informed him, keeping his eyes on mine.

"Alright, Fionna, here we go. You're going to feel moments of extreme pressure and discomfort, but there should be no pain. Are you ready?" I heard Doctor Prince announce from behind the curtain.

"Uh huh," I replied, trying to get past the mental fog and put my guys' hands to use, holding them tightly for impact.

There was a deep, deep pressure on the bottom of my tummy, deep enough to make me want to squirm, but Marshall squeezed my hand tightly. "You're okay, baby, you're okay," he chanted, peeking over the curtain. Gumball, seeing what Marshall was doing, slowly moved his head to look over the curtain, too. "Bubba! Don't look. Just trust me and don't look," Marshall hissed, catching Gumball before he could see the carnage that I'm sure was ensuing.

Then there was another ridiculously uncomfortable pressure, and the feeling of something deep inside of me being pulled at… or maybe cut open… I couldn't tell. "How are you doing over there, Fionna?" Doctor Prince asked from behind the curtain.

"I'm okay," I replied, not knowing what else to say.

There was a feeling of things being moved and shifted, more tugging, more discomfort and pressure, before I heard Doctor Prince call out, "Nurse! Bring me a blanket!" A nurse fluttered over to him from the counter holding out a pretty purple blanket before she disappeared behind the curtain. It felt like there was a lot of commotion going on, a lot of things I wasn't seeing because of this damn sheet blocking my view. Was everything okay? Did they get to the baby? What was going on?

There was a smack, and then the beautiful, glorious sound of a baby crying.

"It's a girl!" Doctor Prince announced from behind the curtain. My heart leapt and raced, and my whole body caught on fire with excitement. He was right! Marshall was right! My baby girl! "Now which of you is going to cut this one's cord?" Doctor Prince asked.

Marshall laid a quick kiss through his mask on my fingers and let go, slinking to the other side of the curtain. "Oh, glob, Fionna. She's so beautiful!" he said, his voice so full of pride and wonderment and sincerity.

Gumball peaked from behind the curtain to look at the baby, then quickly turned his gaze back to me before he saw too much. "She's a princess, Fionna. She's perfect."

A nurse flew into my vision with the baby bundled in a blanket, taking her to get weighed and measured before putting her into an incubator.

Wait, what?

"Wait, I want to see her! I want to hold my baby!" I cried, seeing my girl just out of sight.

"You're not done, Fionna. There's one more," Doctor Prince said, his voice filled with concentration. I felt more poking, more prodding, more tugging and pulling as he spoke.

"W—what do you mean?" I asked nervously. Marshall appeared back by my side, his eyes so bright and full of anticipation that I could almost see his heart try to leap through them. "Marshall? What's going on?"

"Fionna, we had twins!" he exclaimed, shooting up into the air and doing a backflip. Gumball almost screamed with excitement and shook my hand, trying not to rattle me too much.

"T—twins?" I asked in disbelief. The last 10 months flooded back to me in moments. It all made sense! The way The Seeress talked about the baby, the heaviness of it, how big I grew, the strange blockage Doctor Prince talked about. It was twins this whole time.

It was twins!

Another loud smack sound and piercing cry of a baby broke my line of concentration, and instantly my eyes flooded with tears of joy. I had _two_ babies! Oh my glob, I had twins!

Again, Doctor Prince called for another blanket and for one of the men to cut the cord, this time Gumball leaving to do it. "Two girls, Fionna," Marshall said, his eyes overflowing with tears, too. "Two perfect, beautiful, identical girls." He leaned over me and hugged me, enveloping me in his embrace, overwhelmed with pure bliss. Gumball came around and joined us, holding us both, congratulating us on the birth of our twins.

I was too overcome for words. I just cried and blubbered into their doctors gowns, mumbling indistinctly about my girls and Felix and surprises. I didn't even notice Doctor Prince putting me back together and sewing me up. None of us did. It felt like only seconds had passed before they took down the curtain so I could see the whole room, so I could see my girls.

A nurse each took the handles of the separate incubators and wheeled the babies up to me on the bed. Carefully, they each put one tiny, perfect baby in each of my arms, letting me lay there with them, looking at their beautiful faces.

They both had heads full of black hair, both had light blue skin like their father, and both had a tiny set of cute little fangs, but they both had my face. I could see it perfectly. My lips, my nose, even my ears and forehead. Literally, the only thing separating them was their eyes. One had red eyes like Marshall, and the other had blue, like me.

"What are their names?" A candy nurse asked, smiling happily down at us in our first moments together.

Weakly, I held up the arm that cradled my red-eyed girl, and said, "This is Ember." Then, I held up my other arm with my blue-eyed girl and said, "And this… this is Lilly."

"Ember and Lilly," Marshall whispered, leaning above us to get a good look at us. "They're perfect."

"Yes, yes they are," Gumball agreed, looking at us all together.

Perfect. There was no better word in the entire universe to explain that moment.

Just.

Perfect.


	11. Chapter 11: Family

Since the girls were twins, they needed to spend a little bit more time in the hospital than Felix did. Of course, as a mother, I was terrified that something would happen to them since they had to share the space and nourishment in my tummy for so long, but the doctors and nurses all assured me that they were happy, healthy babies, and just needed to be there for observation.

We finally went home to the palace after a week and a half, and that was the first time Felix met his new sisters. Gumball and I thought he may feel jealousy or disdain for his new siblings, being used to being the only child for so long. Marshall was the only one who thought he would love them. Sure enough, he couldn't be more excited.

Felix, only being three years old, wanted so badly to be a big brother and a big help. He wanted to hold the babies, feed the babies, change the babies, and play with the babies. Of course, he couldn't do any of that without hurting himself or the girls, so instead we all made a game with him that made it feel like he was helping: we told him that the nursery needed to be picked up and that he needed to put his toys away so we could play with the girls in there, and we sent him on missions to get clean bottles from the dishwasher in the kitchen or fresh diapers from the pantry. Any little thing that seemed like it would help the girls, he was more than excited to do. He loved family time, more than he loved music time or baking time. Sometimes, he would take toys or books and walk up to the cribs, showing Ember and Lilly the different animals or cool trains, and talking to them about how they would all rule the kingdom one day.

Of course, he would get jealous from time to time. There were occasions when I had to go out on missions, or when Marshall was travelling with his band, or when Gumball was out on royal business, and there wasn't enough parents around to indulge all of his games _and_ look after the girls. It was something we worked on, as a family, to show him that as a big brother, he would have to let his daddies and mommy spend a little more time with the girls because they needed more attention as babies.

After a year of working to find a good balance between the growth of the girls and the development of Felix, he started to understand that he had responsibilities as a big brother, and as a prince. Still, he was only four, so it was important for us to make him feel equal to his sisters in every way.

One evening, as the sun was setting and Gumball and I each had a girl strapped to our chests, he, Felix and I walked through the gardens, Felix holding our hands and walking between us, occasionally being swung back and forth for entertainment.

"Gumball," I said in a hushed tone, trying not to bring attention to our conversation from Felix. I had Ember against my chest, fast asleep, her unusually long black hair covering her chubby little face. Gumball had Lilly, who was wide awake and taking in everything as we walked, her big blue eyes never missing a single detail. "Did you get a chance to meet with Flame King today? Did you talk about… you know…"

Gumball flushed a little, using his free hand to stroke Lilly's long black hair. He always felt awkward around Flame King. He was my ex-boyfriend, after all. He took up the throne of Flame King when his mother decided to retire to the inside of a volcano. "He offered half of his troops to the national army, but that was it. He felt that he needed to keep some reinforcements in his kingdom. He did agree, however, to start training more troops in the six years we have left." Gumball bit his lip nervously, then tried to hide his face against Lilly's forehead.

"What else did he say?" I asked, knowing he wasn't telling me everything.

"He… um, well… he said he would offer more troops… if you asked for them. He said he… missed you." Gumballs face went bright red, though I couldn't tell if it was from anger or jealousy.

I just giggled at the color in his cheeks before turning my attention to Felix for the moment to swing him into the air. He squealed and giggled, then let go of our hands as we neared the massive tree house Peppermint Maid had made for him for his fourth birthday. I grabbed Gumball's hand and laid my head gently on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Are you afraid that Flame King is going to steal me away from you and Marshall?" I asked jokingly, gazing into his red face.

"No!" he said almost immediately, completely giving away his true feelings. He cleared his throat and tried again. "No, I don't. That's absurd. Just because you dated for six years doesn't mean you'll leave your family and your lovers for him. It doesn't mean you'll give up your title as Candy Queen to go be with him, and to be his Flame Queen." His words came out fast and muddled, like his thoughts were just spilling out of his lips.

"Whoah, Gumball, slow down. Who are you trying to convince?" I stopped him and stood in front of him, trying to make eye-contact. He looked down at the ground, fiddling with Lilly's hair for distraction. "What did he say that got you so worked up? You've never been this jealous. Even when I was dating you and Marshall at the same time."

"It's not that, Fionna. I'm confident in our relationship. For the most part. What bothered me was his demeanor towards me. Of course he treated me with respect as a king should, but he acted as though it was comical that I would be the one gathering an army, instead of you." His pink eyes look frustrated as they bore into my face, watching for my reaction.

"So he thinks you're not the right person to be gathering an army? Why?" I asked in disbelief. Flame Prince—I mean King—was never good with words or compliments, but he had no reason to act like Gumball was incapable.

"It's because I'm not as combat driven as… other people… in our family. But that wasn't it. He didn't seem to fully believe me in our cause, and I'm finding that that's more common throughout Aaa then we would have expected. The other rulers seem to think that since the Lich is dead, there couldn't possibly be more of a threat," he explained.

My jaw set tight as I listened, crossing my arms as best I could around the sleeping Ember. "Fine. If they need convincing, I'll go myself. When's the next Meeting of Kings?"

He searched my face questioningly, not really sure how to respond to me. "It's… in a few months. But Fionna, how are you going to convince them? They're stubborn, and only believe what they can see. They can't see a coming shadow army."

"They don't need to see an army. All they need to see is the one person who could scare them into gathering troops, just for the fact that she has the power to crush them. All they need to see is The Seeress. She'll tell them her prophecy, and her presence alone will terrify them. They'll do anything I ask." My voice sounded cold and calculated, even to me. I just didn't have the patience for people's overestimating senses of pride, not when it came to my children. After all, they were the ones in danger here. They would be the ones that needed to be protected. Really, that's all I cared about. Saving the rest of Aaa would just be one big plus.

Gumball's face looked conflicted, like he wasn't sure if he should protest or support me. I guess he decided to support me, because he shook the expression off and took my hand in his again, starting to walk towards the little prince on the tree house. "Then I'll go with you, as your king," he said, smiling over at his son and waving, trying not to look so serious.

I followed his lead, smiling and waving as well, acting as though we weren't just talking about the fate of Aaa. "First, we need to convince The Seeress to go. She probably already knows, but I want to talk to her about it anyway," I said through my smile as we approached the swing set. Gumball broke away and nodded back to me in approval as he walked up behind Felix on the swing, gently pushing him into the air. Ember stirred against my chest, whimpering gently and clutching my blue t-shirt. "You three have fun out here. I'm going to talk to Aunt Seeress and feed Ember," I called to them as I waved and turned to walk back to the palace.

Gumball waved goodbye, but Felix was too wrapped up in his squealing and giggling to notice me leave. When I reached the palace, a servant handed me a full bottle and helped me get the harness off so that I could carry Ember on my hip up the stairs and down the halls as I fed her. She was such an independent spirit, and as soon as she learned to do something on her own, she refused to do it any other way. She held the bottle to her face and suckled it the whole way to Seeress's room.

"You come to ask a favor of me?" Seeress asked as we walked in. I had to take a step back and swallow my shock as my eyes caught sight of her. She… _changed_. She was wearing a bright, colorful summer dress, and her long, knee-length brown hair was up in a ribbon atop her head. Even her eyes had some make up around them, making her white irises and pupils even more apparent in her pale face. "Do I surprise you, Fionna? They are gifts from Queen Bubblegum. I thought I would try them on," she said, turning to a mirror as if she could see her own reflection.

"I—I… uh… wow! You look really pretty, Seeress," I choked, still trying to get past the shock. I set Ember down on a pillow on the floor so she could crawl around and explore while we talked. Seeress just picked up the folds of her slim dress and held them out, like a girl going to her first ball. "Do—do you like dresses like this, Seeress?"

She smiled and gazed listlessly into the area where the mirrors were, thinking. "I cannot see the colors, nor the prints, nor the patterns. All I can see is the energy of it, the way it affects the universe. It is a small change, very minor in the scheme of things, but it makes me feel… normal. I suppose that is warrant enough to enjoy it," she said, sounding like Sam in such a calculated way. Her face went serious, though, and she turned to look towards me, her expression all business and… scary. "A Meeting of Kings, is it? And you wish for my help?"

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding and took a step closer to her, leaning against her useless dresser as I watched Ember play with the curtains and sheets hanging off the bed. "The rulers are having trouble believing there's a threat that even compares to the Lich. They think we're building an army for some silly reason," I explained, letting the air in the room get heavy.

"Your king has come to more difficulty than he lets on. There are 52 rulers in Aaa, and only 13 of them are willing to support the army more than they already are," she said, peering into another dimension as she spoke. Maybe she was looking into the past, where Gumball tried so hard to gather support, or maybe she was seeing the future, but either way, I could tell she was watching.

"Then it's worse than I thought. Please, we need your help. You're the only one they'll believe. You're the only thing that'll scare them into building an army," I pleaded, looking at her childish face as she gazed into space and time.

"You doubt your own abilities, Fionna Pure Heart. You are the Hero of Aaa. You are the one others will follow in times of grief," she said, bending down to pick up Ember, who was tugging on her pretty dress.

"But we can't wait until grief has flooded Aaa. We need to act now. We only have 6 years left to prepare for a war against shadows. I can't fight an army alone. I couldn't fight an army with a few troops from only 13 kingdoms. If we're going to come out of this, we need an army that can fight something that might not have an end," I said, almost talking to myself. I could only imagine the miles upon miles of shadow creatures that would tear through the land. I had the same dream every night, of the shadow army coming, and swallowing Aaa, and of my children leaving to fight it. I couldn't bear to think that Felix, Lilly and Ember would be forced into this.

Seeress bounced Ember and tickled her, smiling and nuzzling her nose into Ember's neck. "Very well, my queen. I will accompany you. Fear _is_ quite the motivator," she said nonchalantly, smiling and kissing Ember. Her face may have been warm and her stature inviting, but her words sent waves of chills down my spine. I felt pity for whoever crossed her path.

I just nodded and smiled, watching Ember grab at Seeress's hair and giggle when Seeress acknowledged her.

To think, over 5 years ago, she was the scariest thing I'd ever faced. And now… now she would be my salvation, my children's salvation. She would be the person, the motivation to build an army.

Then it occurred to me: I'd never actually seen her hurt someone. She's sent me through portals and kept my spirit safe, and even pulled a dagger out of thin air, but she never used her power to hurt someone. Could she crush hearts, like people said?

I watched her play with Ember, tickling her, giggling with her, enjoying her presence.

Even if she did once have that power, I don't think she would want to use it now. She's found people who love her, and people to love. Her heart had changed.

She became a part of our big, loving family.


	12. Chapter 12: Meeting of Kings

The Meeting of Kings was held in the Cloud Kingdom, as always, in a huge circular room with a table circling it, and 52 very comfortable chairs surrounding the outside of the table. It was set up so that everyone could see each other perfectly well, and everyone was on equal footing. If someone wanted to address the entirety of the Kings then they took up the stand in the middle.

Lord M flew Gumball and I up there the night before so we could get to our room to rest and prepare for the next morning. Before we left, we made sure to give big kisses to Felix, Ember, Lilly and Marshall, promising to be back as soon as we could—meaning four months. When we tried to collect Seeress to go, she refused the ride. Instead, she gave us that chilly look she had and said she would meet us there when the time was right. We didn't argue.

The Cloud Kingdom was… unusual to us. I'd been here hundreds of times to save cloud people from dragons or giant cloud-eating birds, but I never stayed here over night. Their beds were made of, well, clouds… which in theory is super awesome. In practice, it was really uncomfortable. I ran into our room and jumped onto the bed, only to sink practically to the floor. I didn't like feeling like I was being eaten by my bed, so we took some pillows and sheets off the bed and slept on the only slightly harder floor.

By morning, we'd had no word from Seeress. She was nowhere to be seen, and she didn't send me any messages on my crystal. With anxiety flooding my chest, I quickly prepared for the meeting, trying to look as elegant as I could while still being comfortable. Gumball dressed in his fanciest get-up; a white coat with gold and velvet trimmings, and matching trousers, with white gloves. He almost blended into the clouds we walked on. My dress was strapless, fitting tightly to my chest and spilling out in a loose fit around my body. It was different shades of light and dark blue, with a ribbon to hold up my waves and truffles of blonde hair, and gloves that stretched all the way up my arms. We looked like a royal couple attending a ball.

"How is anyone going to take me seriously when I look like I want to dance all night?" I whined to Gumball quietly as we approached the huge fluffy building that housed our circular meeting room.

"Don't worry about it, Fionna. Everyone dresses in their best clothes while they're here. They wouldn't take you any more seriously if you showed up dressed in a suit of armor," he whispered back, leaning downwards towards me so I could hear him.

We were stopped at the entrance, being the only couple to show up this year. The doormen checked our royal rings and opened the door for us to go inside. The room was bigger than I'd expected, by far. I felt like I was a firefly in a giant jar. Even though on the outside the building looked plain and white, the inside looked as though it was reflecting the sky just outside. The floor and ceiling were white, and the table was made of very interesting-looking wood, the same wood that the podium was made out of. But the walls… we could see the blue sky and light fluffy clouds floating all around us, as if we were just another part of the air.

"There's a love-seat over this way for the one or two miscreants who decide to bring their partners," he whispered as we shuffled past the kings and queens already seated. Some of them I knew really well as my friends; Ghost King, Wildberry King, Hotdog King, Breakfast King... they all smiled and waved at me, acting as if they didn't just see me for the celebration of my daughters' birthdays.

Gumball and I took our seats in the love-seat of red velvet and patiently awaited the rest of the royalty to come in. No one really spoke to each other as we all waited. We just stayed quiet and watched kings and queens enter one, sometimes two, at a time.

After about an hour and a half, everyone had showed up. Everyone except The Seeress. The Frog Wizard from Wizard City came in, being the last person to enter, and took his place at the stand. Everyone adjusted and shifted in their chairs, that noise being the most action this room had seen all day.

"Good afternoon, Your Highnesses. We gather in these next weeks to discuss the welfare of Aaa through her various kingdoms. It's good to see you all here." He eerily turned his head in our direction as he looked around and stopped at me, smiling like a creep. "And welcome, Queen Fionna of the Candy Kingdom. We did not expect you here," he said, bringing everyone's attention to me.

"I have business to conduct here," I said, trying not to sound irritated by his lack of privacy.

"Well, in that case, why don't we open the floor to you?" he said in a musical voice, like my irritation amused him.

Gumball grabbed my hand and nodded to me out of the corner of my eye, telling me to keep calm, to go ahead. I took a deep breath to steady myself and stood up, letting the dress flow around me as I walked around the round table to get to the center. Frog Wizard stepped down and bowed to me as I walked up, though I could feel his nasty eyes on me.

I cleared my throat and tried to gain my composure. Public speaking was never my thing, especially when I had such powerful eyes on me. "Th—thank you for your t—time, everyone," I stuttered, looking around the room at their prying eyes. The kings I knew smiled at me and mouthed words of encouragement, making me feel slightly better. "I, uh, have some very… dark… news to share with you all. In—in six years…"

"Is it that prophecy crap again?" Flame King interrupted, standing up and sneering at me.

I don't know if he was just being a jerk, or if he was trying to help me, but he instantly set my anger on fire. "It's not crap, FP! The Seeress told me it was coming, and—"

"The Seeress? Does she even exist? _You're_ supposedly the only one who's seen her in over 100 years! How can we trust that you're not trying to manipulate us into giving you an army for your own pleasure?" Jungle King blurted out, standing up and showing off his lions manes hat thing and his lack of actual clothing.

"Sh—she doesn't like a lot of people," I tried, getting defensive. A lot of people were nodding with him as he talked, agreeing with him.

"The Seeress probably died off with the Lich almost 5 years ago. That is, if she was even real to begin with," Ice Cream Queen said, sounding snobbish and totally uninterested in what was happening.

"She's real, and she's alive, and she had a vision of a massive shadow army overwhelming Aaa. This isn't about me, this is about all of us! All of our kingdoms!" I tried, taking my stand and looking as confident as I could.

Gumball stood up from his place, his expression oozing command and demanding respect. "The Seeress resides with us in the Candy Palace, and is my personal advisor. I take all her prophecies quite seriously, as should you all."

"This is ridiculous! We can't dish out an army _that_ big because some fictional old hag told you a shadow army was coming," Fire King challenged, also standing up. What the lump was he doing? Why was he acting like this?

"What's your problem, FP? The Seeress was the ONLY reason the Lich is dead. Without her, all of us would be dead or trapped in some miserable prison he made for us," I defended, stepping down from the podium to get a better look at him.

He just grinned, seeing my challenge and phasing through the table to get right in front of me. We weren't even an inch apart. I could feel his uncomfortable heat penetrating my skin. If he wanted, he could kiss me before I could turn away. "You want to know what my problem is?" he hissed, grabbing my arms and holding me still. Everyone gasped and panicked, but all I could focus on was his grinning face and intense eyes, and the searing pain in my arms.

"Unhand her, Flame King! Let go of her right now!" I heard Gumball yell out.

Flame King didn't hear him. His eyes were stuck on mine, blaring into me with white hot heat.

The room shook around us, adding to the panic in the air. Flame King let go of me and backed away, looking around the room as things rocked and shivered. I backed into the podium, holding onto it and searching for where the shaking was coming from, ready to pull out the dagger I had hidden against my thigh.

As if the floor was melting, right in front of me, the tiles were pulled into an unnatural cone downwards, swirling around and emitting a light that made the whole room dark. Everyone was screaming and hanging on to something as if the room itself would fall out of the clouds. I tore my dress up to my thigh and pulled out the dagger, holding it in front of me, ready to fight.

From the twisted downward spiral in the floor, The Seeress slowly floated upwards, as if she'd torn the veil between dimensions and pushed herself into the room. Her eyes were glowing, her hair flying wildly around her, and her black and white tea dress fluttering around her bare feet.

This was The Seeress I met, six years ago.

"What the glob is that?!" Flame King screamed, cowering next to the table, his eyes fixed on her. Everyone else joined him in cries and outbursts of fear, not knowing what was happening or who she was.

I slipped my dagger back into its holster, and when the ground slowed its shaking, I started to walk up to her. She held out her hand to me, her eyes following the motion of the room, not bothering to look in my direction.

"Please, be still, as this is my will. It seems there are many heads to fill," she said in her small, poetic voice. Her face and body were stone as her eyes searched the room. I stopped where I was and just bowed my head, listening. "Your hearts I hear, so full of fear. Beware your pride, for death is near."

"Is—is that… is that The Seeress?" Flame King quibbled by the table, his eyes full of shock and terror.

"She is. Now shut up and listen," I said, crossing my arms and glaring at him.

"United are they who enter the fray when the shadows arrive on that fateful day. Six years are left for the kingdoms to rest before shadows eat Aaa from east to west. As kings and queens with exuberant means, together you'll join to keep Aaa free. I'll not say it twice, so take this advice: prepare yourselves, lest everyone dies."

The whole room was as quiet as it was still. Every single set of eyes were fixed on her, but no one knew what to say. She bowed her head, letting her long brown hair hide her face, before turning to me. "I've warned them all. An army they'll call, and together you'll make the enemy fall." She took a step towards me, getting really close, and stood up on her toes to whisper into my ear. "They don't know about the decision you'll be forced to make. Keep it that way, or they'll abandon you in the worst of times."

I kept my expression as calm as I could, nodding to her in acknowledgement. She took a step back, raised her arm, exposing her pail hand, and called on the energy that brought her here. With sparks and crackles of electricity, a whirlwind surrounded her, blowing almost everything away from her, and within seconds, she was gone.

After a minute or two of everyone collecting themselves, I went to stand back on the podium. Frog Wizard quickly shuffled away from me, terrified of my power and my association with The Seeress. "Now, where were we? Oh yes, I believe I was asking for an army."

No one, not even Flame King, argued with me. They all took their seats and tried to straighten out their outfits and hair, following my lead and regaining their composure. Gumball smiled warmly and nodded, telling me to go on, to keep talking, to make them listen.

I didn't have to try hard. One by one, they all offered a plethora of different kinds of troops, explaining special abilities of their people and telling me how they could be useful. It took days to get everyone organized and to draw up contracts and records of agreements, but that didn't matter.

I had my army. I had the time I needed. No one was going to lay a hand on my children.


	13. Chapter 13: Monsters

The months flew by after the Meeting of Kings, and things progressed so much better than any of us expected. Flame King offered to personally manage and train the Kingdom Army—as we decided to call it—and every day the kings and queens of Aaa were sending him new people. We had no idea what we were facing. All we really had was the image that The Seeress painted for us, and the images that my dreams imprinted on my mind: an entire ocean of shadow warriors coming to swallow up Aaa.

The army wasn't the only thing coming along. Felix, Ember and Lilly were growing up so fast, it was like they were changing before my eyes.

Felix was quite the little prince, taking up his mothers' sense of honor and justice and his fathers' sense of leadership and responsibility. There wasn't one person in the palace who wasn't impressed with his ability to learn something quickly and completely, astonishing his tutors and Sam. Even with all his learning and seriousness, he still found time to be an excellent big brother. He was very protective of his younger sisters, always telling them to be careful or not to crawl into there or get into that. It was no use, though. Ember and Lilly were… challenging… sometimes.

By the time they were four, they developed completely separate and opposite personalities. Ember was a little spitfire, wanting to challenge everything and always getting into what she could. As soon as she discovered how to use her little body, she _used_ it. She was always wrestling with her siblings and parents, and she always wanted to conquer something. She had my sense of adventure and my fight, and Marshalls' need for mischief.

Lilly was a wildcard. She was much more quiet and refined than her twin, her blue eyes always observing, always documenting things around her. When she learned to read, trying to get books away from her was a flat out battle. Eventually we all learned to give up and let her read through meals, through lessons, and through sleep. She didn't like starting things on her own, but when her and Ember were together, they were like a whirlwind of terror. Of course, with Ember's outward personality, she usually started it, but Lilly loved adventure just as much as her sister, whether it be in books or in life. She may not have admitted it out loud, but nothing excited her more than discovering new things and making new connections to the world around her.

Both of the girls were definitely daddy's girls. They had both Gumball and Marshall wrapped around their fingers, and whenever they made mischief or caused trouble, all they had to do was get teary-eyed and whimper at Daddy Marshall or Daddy Gumball, and suddenly they were off the hook. Sometimes, Felix was the only one who had a sense of authority with those two.

Marshall spent a lot of time teaching the girls to use their demon/vampire powers, focusing on flying and shape shifting and eating red. They were able to eat both food and red shades, but he thought it would be good for them to know how to use their fangs. As if knowing how to use their legs wasn't bad enough, when they learned to fly, it was useless trying to catch them. Races through the palace, hide-and-go-seek in the shadows, and battling each other like they were in a war…

Ah, yes, the battles. It was more than apparent that my kids were definitely _my_ kids. They needed an outlet for their energy, and an action-packed outlet, at that. By the time Felix was 8 and the girls were 5, we started family combat. With wooden swords and shields, of course. Just like their personalities, Ember and Lilly took up different fighting styles, even at such a young age. Ember fought like a wildfire, with her long black hair flying erratically through the air as she spun and flew and plunged and slashed. She never held back, but because of it, she couldn't defend herself very well, which left her open to Felix and Lilly. Felix wasn't as willing to go all out like his red-eyed sister. He had a problem with hesitating, but he was confident in his strength, and it was hard for his sisters to get a good hit on him. Lilly was cold and calculated, measuring out her opportunities before she struck. She kept her hair up in a neat bun, out of her face, so she could see the entire area clearly. When she struck, she struck with precision and clarity and grace. Her only issue was that she spent too much time studying her enemy and not enough time studying herself. Felix was able to get around to her when she was distracted by Embers' movements.

One of the most amazing things was how they all came together to fight a strong opponent. Ember and Lilly were like ice and fire, joining forces to make an overwhelming steam and remarkable team. Like acrobats in the sky, Lilly would shoot up at Ember, who would catch her and spin her rapidly in circles, throwing her hard towards her opponent while Lilly had her sword pointed straight at the weak spot. Felix was like their rock, sometimes using two shields so they could push off of him, getting more speed and velocity at oncoming opponents. For children, they were even more impressive than I was. I knew that one day, if they kept learning and practicing, they would be able to take me down in seconds. That was more of a reason to teach them goodness and kindness.

No matter how they fought, I was beyond proud of them. I loved wrestling with them, telling them stories of mine and Cake's adventures, and teaching them new things. Maybe I was being prejudiced, but my kids were freaking amazing! So smart and so strong! What more could a warrior mother want? Marshall tried to get in on the action now and then, but Lilly quickly found his soft-hearted weakness and took him down with precision. It always ended with the kids saying things like, "Daddy Marshall can't touch me!" or "Daddy Marshall, you're so silly!" Gumball would always sit quietly and watch our skirmishes, a giant smile on his face as he cheered his children on. It was like scrimmaging was the big family activity, which was fine by me.

It wasn't always smiles and sword play, though. When the kids fought, we had to prepare the contractors to rebuild parts of the palace. Ember would get violently angry at her siblings sometimes, causing her to flare up and rocket back and forth through the halls, crushing walls and windows and doors. I wasn't strong enough or fast enough to hold her down and calm her, so Marshall usually had to sacrifice massive bruises on his body just to tame her. Lilly wasn't as destructive, but when she was upset, it was like the air turned to ice. If she was provoked enough, she would find the worst possible form of revenge and act it out. That's probably what set Ember off so often. Felix was quieter than the two of them, and not nearly as destructive. If he was upset, he would usually run to one of us and tell us everything that happened… through his eyes. He liked to embellish stories sometimes, which didn't help us, as parents, when it came to punishments. I lost track of how many times I was brought in as a mediator for them, trying to calm down the fight before someone got hurt. I know everyone says this, but I really wish I had a manual for kids. Especially my demon spawn children.

I couldn't complain too much, though. When the times were good, they were amazing. Birthdays were big in our family, thanks to Gumball's sense of extravagance. The kids loved festivals and parades, and loved being adored by the Candy Citizens. Sometimes, on very, very mild adventures, Cake and I would take whoever wanted to go with us. Marshall liked to incite races between the kids, being Felix's source of flight. Together they would race around the whole Candy Kingdom (with Marshall adjusting to the girls' speed, of course). Family picnics in the different kingdoms were something we did weekly, as a family favorite, even if one of us parents had to be somewhere else at the time.

With the army being put together, often times I or Gumball was called away to oversee new recruits or talk with the troops about what to prepare for. Gumball still had his royal obligations, and worked with the Candy Council often to keep them updated on our progress. Marshall, finding a sense of maturity since starting a family, decided to gather the vampires he was supposed to be king of. He wasn't the kind of king that Gumball was, but he started keeping tabs on vampire activity in Aaa, and even began to muster a small army of the undead to help us fight. He was a lax king, and that fit the vampire population just fine. Apparently, independence was a defining trait of a vampire.

When all three of us had to be somewhere else, instead of leaving the kids at the castle, we would take them to Ooo so they could play with Finn, Bubblegum, and Marceline's kids. Their kids would come to Aaa every once in a while as well, and even though our kids were younger than theirs, they all got along really well. They were like strange, identical cousins… sort of…

Everyone came out for Felix's 9th birthday, which, as usual, was a huge, kingdom-wide celebration. Felix tried to act grown up and not as excited as he actually was, but once his friends from Ooo showed up, all properness went out the window. Elly and Gabriel, Marceline's twins, challenged Felix to an ice-cream eating contest, which was judged by the infamous Uncle Jake, and soon all seven kids were stuffing themselves full of the finest ice cream from Ice Cream Kingdom.

"Don't you think they'll get sick?" Bubblegum asked nervously from beside me, sipping on the wine in her glass. The four of us—her, Marceline, Cake and I—were standing by a stick candy stand towards the wall where we could watch our children gorge and get ice cream everywhere.

"Nah, Bonni, they'll be fine. Besides, if they do get sick, Fi's got that big fancy bathroom for them to yack in," Marceline answered her, throwing her arm around Bubblegum and sucking the color out of a big red apple.

"I don't know, they look like they're getting down on that ice cream real good, ladies," Cake said, taking a step towards them.

"Hold on, let's see how far Jake takes this," I added, reaching out to Cake. In truth, we really didn't have to wait for Jake to stop them. The brain freeze did the trick. After squealing and whining about the pain, Elly darted up and over to us, rushing right into Marceline. Marcy caught her with ease and set her straight, smiling and laughing at her daughter.

"Mommy! Can we go play in the balloon house?" she begged, tugging on Marceline's tank top.

"Of course. But don't get into trouble!" Marcy scolded, sending her daughter, and the rest of the children, off. She smiled after them, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"Sooo… Fionna… I've been meaning to ask…" Bubblegum started, twiddling her fingers in her hair. "Did you… find out anything more about that decision Seeress told you of?"

It was a hard question to answer, simply because it was a hard concept to think about. "No. Nothing is new. We're allies with all of the royalty of Aaa, and alliances with all the other covens, guilds, villages… anyone that Aaa is home to. I can't find a single person who would want to raise an army against us. Against Aaa. Let alone someone to try to hurt my kids." My eyes were stuck on the balloon house they were all playing in, along with other royal children from around Aaa. They knew nothing of danger or hardship or choices. They were kids, innocent and simple. What could hurting them possibly do for anyone?

"I see. Are you sure you don't want to accept our forces? We would be glad to help," Bubblegum said, gazing at me with sadness in her eyes.

I dropped my eyes and smiled, turning to her and holding her hands in mine. "I appreciate it, PB, but you guys already gave us a lot. Besides, Seeress said our army is enough. She just didn't say that my kids will be safe…"

"Well why don't we take them?" Marceline asked, lightening the mood by wrapping her arms around both our shoulders and putting her head between ours. "We love your little monsters! It'll be like a really long slumber party for them," she reasoned, sounding uplifted and chipper.

As out of place as her tone was, I couldn't help but think deeply on what she said. The only people we know of that can get to Aaa are us and Seeress. No one else can open it up, or knows how to. So… if Felix, Ember and Lilly were there…

"I agree, Fionna. We can't risk your children when the war comes. Have them come and stay with us. We'll keep them safe. Besides, Finn's been _dying_ to see what the girls can do pitted against Elly and Gabriel," Bubblegum added, wiggling out of the group hug and wrapping her arms tenderly around Marceline's waist.

"You know? That's not a bad idea. I would feel _so_ much better if they were in a different dimension. Sam can go with you guys too," I said, my spirits lifting. Bubblegum and Marceline giggled a little, smiling at each other like two girls keeping secrets at a sleep over. "W—what's so funny?" I asked, a little confused.

"Oh, nothing really," Marceline said, giving me her very Marshall-esque grin. "I guess you must have missed it then."

"Missed what? What's going on?" I said, getting defensive.

"Missed the _love letters_ Sam and Simon have been sending to each other," Bubblegum let out, trying to hold in her giddy giggles.

"_What_?! Are you serious! They've been sending love letters?!" I exclaimed, my heart leaping in my chest.

"Yeah, the old man is head over heels for her. Has been since the day they met. They're just both too stubborn to actually do something about it," Marcy said casually, shrugging like she wasn't completely excited about it.

"Oh my glob, guys! We need to get them together!" I cried, shaking with anticipation. Sam was always holed up in her lab, only being social when she was worried about something or when someone needed advice. If she loved someone, she deserved to be with that person.

"Then it's settled? We'll have a house full of monsters and science nerds next year?" Marceline asked, a spark of excitement in her eye.

"Yes! Well, I need to talk to Marshall and Gumball, but yes! We need to do this!" I yelled, jumping onto the two of them and hugging them tight. "You guys… you guys are so awesome," I said, tears filling my eyes. It wasn't just the prospect of Sam being in love. It was the fact that, for the first time since my daughters were born, I felt like my kids weren't going to be hurt. I felt like they were going to be safe.

The rest of the night we spent celebrating. Felix received his very own horse from the Grass Kingdom, a new crown forged in the Fire Kingdom, and a brand new bed from the Cloud Kingdom. Gumball and I decided that one would go in a guest room. It was a wonderful night, and maybe it was because I felt so relieved, but everything felt lighter. We all danced and drank and ate and partied late into the night, the little ones passing out cold in the balloon house around midnight. Marceline teased Marshall by pretending like she was going to suck my blood, and Bubblegum and Gumball discussed political nonsense in Aaa and Ooo. Finn, Jake and Cake compared epic battles against monsters and beasts, and I went to lay in the balloon house with the kids, just to watch them sleep peacefully. I knew I had just over a year to prepare for the war I knew was coming, but just for that night, I wanted to feel the peace my children gave me.


	14. Chapter 14: Dream

The last year passed quicker than I ever expected. Ember, Lilly and Felix had grown so much, it was nearly unbelievable to see them so big. They flourished in their studies and training, and each of them were so eager to help us in their own way.

With the days flying by, Marshall, Gumball and I made a point to spend as much time as we could with our children before we sent them to Ooo. Gumball and I had to spend a lot of time in the Fire Kingdom to oversee the troops and prepare everyone for battle. Gumball took care of the political stuff; talking to the lords and ladies and thanking them for their cooperation, while relaying messages and drawing up contracts. I spent my time looking over the troops and inspecting their combat strategies. Not only did we have an army just for fighting, but we had 52 separate special forces designed to fight with whatever crazy abilities they learned from their own kingdoms. Then, as if those forces weren't enough, we had another hundred or so sections of specialized fighters that either volunteered to help or were recruited from small villages or cities. We had mages, assassins, bomb specialists, elemental warriors, gun and cannon experts, and even some rangers from the wilderness. I asked Flame King why we had so many extra people here, and he simply replied that I had saved them from a fate by the Lich King, so they were going to help me fight this time.

The vampires had no interest in our war. Whether all of Aaa was swallowed up in it or not, it didn't concern them. The few who joined our ranks were loyal to Marshall as their king, and those few recruited a few more, until we had a sizeable vampire force. Still, they only followed Marshall, and wanted nothing to do with me or Gumball or the rest of the army. That was fine with me. I had enough to look after, and I trusted Marshall to get them ready.

The three of us spent the last remaining days focusing on our kids. Felix, with his keen observation, knew right away that something was wrong, even though we all fought hard to hide it. When he told Ember and Lilly, they both reacted in their own way. Ember came to me and told me she was ready to fight, that she would take down anything she needed to, with all her fiery determination. Lilly, never really knowing what "worried" or "stressed" meant or felt like, casually added that she would help if she needed to from behind her book. Felix, being proper and well-mannered, asked if there was any way the Prince of the Candy Kingdom could be of service to his Lady Mother.

A small bit of panic rose in my chest when they all three attacked me with their eagerness to help in a war, visions of my dreams flooding my mind and seeing my kids fly out to battle. I took a deep breath and told them that something bad was coming, but that I and their fathers would send it away. Then, I told them that I had to send them to Ooo for a while.

"No way! I'm not going to Ooo when there's stuff to fight here!" Ember exclaimed, her long, knee-length hair falling from behind her ears into her face. She stuffed her sweater-covered hands onto her hips, poking her lip out just a little in defiance.

"Do what Lady Mother says, Ember. She is queen, and—" Felix tried, crossing his arms and trying to look much older than he was.

"Don't tell me what to do, prissy boy!" Ember yelled, turning her small fury onto him.

"Ember, Felix, that's enough. This isn't a discussion, this is what I and your father's have decided. It's what's best for you three," I said, trying to cool the argument before I had to chain Ember to the ground. We were out in the gardens picking fruits from the trees, before all the fruit turned to the beautiful orange and red colors of autumn, like the leaves.

"Don't get all worked up, Ember. Besides, I heard that you've got a little crush on Gabe," Lilly taunted from behind her book. She sat on the stone bench, her legs crossed and her body hunched over the pages. Lilly kept her hair up most of the time, letting the defiant bangs fall into her face now and then. She didn't like her hair cut, either, so both of them had hair as long as Seeress's.

Ember gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, darting into the air and getting ready to strike. "Who told you that?! Were you reading my journal?!" she hissed, glaring down at her identical twin sister.

Lilly just shrugged and turned a page in her book, never moving her eyes from the pages. "Now Lilly, what did I say about journals?" I interrupted, setting down my basket of fruit and walking up to Ember, wrapping my arm around her and grounding her onto the earth.

Lilly closed her book and stretched her back out, rolling her head back and forth. "Journals and private documents are the only books that are off limits," she recited in her bored voice. I can't tell you how many times I had to tell her that she can't read Ember's journal. That journal was the only way Ember could keep her thoughts in check without spilling them out in combat training.

"So stop reading it then!" Ember yelled, crossing her arms violently, trying to hold herself back.

"Glob, Lilly, that wasn't nice," Felix added shyly from behind us, fiddling with a cotton candy apple to keep the attention off his face.

"Well, it's true. Ask her yourself," Lilly said, not caring what either of them thought.

Ember growled and stormed off towards the palace, muttering about how her sister was adopted. I sighed and shook my head, going to sit next to Lilly on the bench. She hung her legs over the edge and made room for me and Felix to sit down with her. Lilly let out an exasperated sigh and leaned her head on me, pulling her bangs out of her face. "I'm sorry, mommy. I didn't mean to read her journal. I just saw it last night as she was putting it away. There was this big huge heart around Gabe's name. I thought it was silly," she said, twiddling her fingers.

"It's not me you should apologize to, Lilly. How would you feel if Ember went through your personal things? To her, reading her diary is like her ripping up your favorite books. Saying she doesn't like it is an understatement," I said gently, stroking her long black pony tail.

She played with the corner of her tattered book for a moment, then let out a small "Okay," under her breath.

"So when are we going to Ooo, mother?" Felix asked, sitting up straight and proper like a young prince on his throne.

"Tonight we're going to have a big family dinner, then tomorrow we're going to head out to Ooo in the morning. Me and your daddies will stay with you for a few days in Ooo, but then we have to come back for a while," I explained, trying to keep it simple. Felix and Lilly were both quick-witted. If I gave too much away, they would catch on quickly.

"Can we sleep in your bed tonight?" Felix asked sheepishly, trying to be as coy and manipulative as his sisters.

It worked. I giggled and hugged them both to me, giving them big huge kisses on their heads. "Fine, but only if you pack for Ooo before dinner, and only if Lilly apologizes to Ember. Understood?"

"Understood, Lady Mother!" Felix exclaimed, standing up from the bench and turning to give me a curt bow. He pulled Lilly off the bench, Lilly acting like she was reluctant, and together they ran back to the garden doors before disappearing into the castle.

I chuckled to myself and watched them leave before I went to pick up the basket of fruit I had, and soon after, I followed them inside.

* * *

Dinner was… an event, like it usually was when we ate in the private dining hall off the east wing of the castle. Ember, fully forgiving Lilly, starting teasing her sister with questions of who she liked. The dis-ease on Marshalls' face while listening to his girls talk about boys and kissing was enough to make Gumball and I giggle behind our hands as we ate.

"So do you like Koda, Lilly?" Ember teased, stuffing a spoonful of potatoes into her mouth before she sucked the red out of a strawberry.

"No," Lilly answered plainly from behind her book, taking small bites here and there.

"Then you probably like that Wildberry kid! I've seen you stare at his juicy, red—"

"Alright, Ember, that's enough," Marshall interrupted, his face turning redder than his wine. Gumball and I burst into laughter, and with us, so did the kids. Only Marshall sat there confused. "What? What the lump is so funny?!" he demanded, getting hot-headed like his daughter.

"Awww, is The King of Vampires uncomfortable with _boys_?" I teased, having just enough breath to poke at him before the laughter overcame me again.

"N—no! She's just… too young! They're too young for boys!" Marshall tried to defend himself, crossing his arms and tipping the chair back, a blush bright on his face.

"They're seven, Marshall. It was bound to happen at some point," Gumball soothed, laying his hand on Marshall's shoulder and calming him down.

"Don't worry, Daddy Marshall. They won't have any boyfriends unless I approve of them first," Felix said, sounding so confident and protective.

"Yeah, and Felix won't have a girlfriend unless he learns to have some fun!" Ember laughed, pointing at Felix and giggling uncontrollably.

"Hey! I know how to have fun! I'm just _responsible_, unlike you, Ember," Felix said, crossing his arms like Marshall did, looking upset.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Let's just try to enjoy our dinner, okay?" I interjected, hoping to lead by example and shoving my face full of sweetmeats.

Everyone began to eat, but not without constantly poking at each other or making silly food faces. I couldn't be too upset. My kids learned that kind of behavior from me and their Aunt Cake. We had no table manners, and neither did my kids. Well, Felix liked to pretend he did, but Ember and Lilly did what they pleased.

After dinner I sent them to the baths to get cleaned up and brush their teeth. Ember, hating baths, whined and groaned about it. Lilly teased her by saying she could sleep in her room alone if she wanted, and that was enough to get her to go. Ember might have been a fighter, but she was terrified of the darkness. Felix, being cleanly and neat like his father, didn't have to be asked at all. It was his ritual to bathe right after dinner. His determination to show his royal prowess made me proud, but made me giggle at the same time.

Marshall, Gumball and I took a quick shower together, as that was our new habit, being parents and all. There was no time for long lathering or heavy petting. It was rinse, wash, rinse, get out. As we were drying off and preparing for bed, I noticed the air turn heavy and foreboding.

"What's wrong?" I asked to the open, steamy bathroom as I wrapped my hair up in a towel.

Gumball, slipping on his night-time pants and buttoning up his shirt, answered. "What if we don't come back?"

"Come back from where?" I asked, confused and growing anxious.

"Come back from the war, Fi," Marshall said, shaking the water from his hair with his hand. He already had his pajama pants on, the ones that hung loosely from his hips.

I slipped my tank top on as I thought about it. "I—I don't know. I don't know what we would do if we didn't come back… I… never thought about it…"

"Seeress said that we would win the war. She didn't say anything about coming back from it alive," Gumball added, picking up the towels we had on the floor and tossing them in the hamper.

"We need to consider what we're going to do with the kids if this doesn't go well," Marshall said, floating in the air.

"No. No, we don't need to consider anything. We're coming back. We have to. What would they do without us? We couldn't leave them!" I started to panic, letting my long, wet hair fall out of the towel and hang around my shoulders and face.

Marshall floated over behind me and wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder. "I'm not saying we won't come back, Fi. I'm saying there's a possibility that this war will take more than we're willing to give, and we need to be ready for it."

Gumball stepped in front of me and held my hands in his, gazing down into my eyes and holding my attention. "He's right. I don't expect any of us will be lost in the war, but we _do_ need to figure out where the kids will go if… well, you know. Felix isn't old enough to hold the throne by himself. He'll need a guardian. When he turns 15, he can take over the Candy Kingdom and become the guardian of the girls."

I hung my head, my eyes shifting rapidly as I my thoughts darted and swirled. "Well… who do you think should do it?"

"Cake and Lord were my first pick, but they're fighting, too," Gumball answered, lifting my chin with his finger so he could look at me.

"I would say Seeress could do it, but I think we protect her more than she protects us. She might need a guardian, too," Marshall added, pulling the wet, heavy hair from my face.

I thought about it some more, thinking over every single person I knew that would protect the kids without trying to take the throne for themselves. "Wait, wouldn't the council get involved? What if something _does_ happen, and they put Countess Lemongrab on the throne?" I could feel my face fill with terror at the thought, imagining my kids go through years in the dungeon for no reason.

"The council can't do anything if we've appointed a guardian for Felix. That's why it's important to do it now, before the war begins," Gumball said.

"We could always ask Finn and them to be their guardians until they're old enough," Marshall offered, floating in the air again so he could see us both.

"We could, but that would mean they would have to split up their family so one of them could rule in Aaa with Felix until he's 15. I… I think we should have Cake and Lord do it. They'll be our first option. If that fails, well, then we'll have no choice but to ask Marcy and Finn and PB." Everything was silent for a moment as the gravity of it all sank in. Then, it struck me that we were being too grave over something that probably wouldn't happen. "But that's a really big _if_, guys. We're not going to die in this war. We're coming back to our kids. All of us. Our children will always have the three of us."

"Not always…" Marshall muttered.

I snapped my head at him, stunned by what he said, but our conversation was cut short by the sound of screaming, giggling children jumping on our bed. I noted everything about that moment—his tone, his face, the words—and filed it away for later. I needed to know what he meant, but that was not the time.

I took a deep breath and let the sound of my children's' laughter put a smile on my face before I charged out of the bathroom and tackled them on our massive bed. My ambush was met with a flurry of little legs and arms flying everywhere, and a slew of screams and laughter echoing through the room. Marshall flew right in after me, adding to the excitement, and Gumball casually strode in after him.

After the giggles had settled and the stories were told, and all the children cuddled up with a parent, everyone slowly drifted to sleep. I held Felix tightly in my arms, wrapping my body around him, snuggling into his hair like I did the first time I heard of the coming war. The sweet smell of his skin and clothes sent me to sleep quickly.

Again, I dreamt of that sea of shadow warriors swallowing up Aaa; people screaming, fires bursting out of homes, panic everywhere. I watched in horror as my home was eaten by shadow and flames, and waited with terror for the faces of my children to come into my vision, their small voices telling me that they loved me, right before they went to war. But this time, instead of it being my children's smiling faces, it was Marshall's. He gave me a kiss on the forehead and said, "I love you," then, with a crown on his head and a smile on his face, he disappeared into the shadows.


	15. Chapter 15: Goodbyes

As everyone was fluttering around the next morning, getting everything ready, I pulled Cake aside and told her what Gumball, Marshall and I talked about the night before. She reacted the same way I did, saying nothing would happen to us, and that it was ridiculous to think it would. But, after talking with her about it some more and reasoning it out, she agreed that maybe it would be a good idea to appoint a guardian, just in case. She said that she and Lord would happily accept guardianship of our kids, in the very unlikely event that something would happen to us.

I told Gumball that Cake accepted guardianship of Felix and the girls, which he was delighted to hear. I guess he and Marshall had been worried about this for months now. Gumball said that we would address the council about it the moment we returned from Ooo, to get things settled.

When all the kids were finally ready to go, arguments and difficulties aside, Cake stretched herself into a huge carriage shape, and we all climbed into the Cake Cabin, or so she called it. Ember and Felix teased and poked at each other the whole way, calling each other names and making fun of each other's traits. Gumball and Lilly were reading some ancient book together, occasionally stopping to scold the two other children or to talk briefly about what they had just read. Marshall and I stayed silent, holding hands, looking out over the landscape of Aaa.

Before we knew it, we were at the portal area. Cake stretched into a big, wide ball thing with the kids inside of her so they couldn't see us open the portal. We all made it a point not to show them how until they were much older, in case they got any ideas about sharing the secret or tried to leave their worlds without us knowing.

Gumball buried 7 pieces of hair in the dirt, and instantly that mirror of Ooo opened up on the rocks. One by one we stepped into the portal, holding our breaths before the vacuum sucked it out of us, and within seconds, we were in Ooo.

Cake took us to the castle the same way she took us to the portal; in her giant carriage form. Even though Ember threw a fit about coming here, I could see the rosy color in her cheeks as we came closer and closer to the palace. Marshall noticed too, and I could just feel the discomfort ebbing off of him. Just to tease him, I leaned in and whispered, "I bet she's thinking about Gabe right about now…"

Marshall sneered and hissed back, "If that little runt touches my daughter…"

"Oh, hush, I'm just messing with you. Besides, if I recall, you were the bane of many fathers' existence. Bad little boy," I purred, scooting up closer to him.

His cheeks went as red as Ember's and he turned his head away from me. "It's not the same," he said, plainly frustrated. It might have been mean, but I liked pushing his buttons every now and then. He was definitely going to be a handful when it came time for our daughters to start dating.

There was a big welcome at the front gate of the palace from our Ooo family. Finn, Bubblegum, Marceline, Koda, Gabriel, Elly, and little Sofia were all waiting for us with big smiles and open arms. The kids couldn't get out of Cake's carriage fast enough, Lilly and Ember using their demon speed to crash into the other kids. Felix tried to hold his princely demeanor, but when Sofia ran up and grabbed his hands in hers, he lost the will to be a prince and instantly turned into a normal 10 year old.

Finn gave us all really big hugs, his massive arms and chest nearly crushing me. Marcy hugged Gumball and I, but her and Marshall had some special handshake they made up. "Vampires Only" is what they told us. Bubblegum, a ridiculously polite queen, gave us all a kiss on each cheek to greet us. Finn tackled the kids into one massive bear hug, all of them squealing about his bushy beard scratching their faces, but he didn't care. He let them go and challenged them all to a duel in the arena.

"Mom pleeeaaassseee? Can we pleeeaaassee?" Ember begged, tensing herself into a ball of excitement. Lilly handed her book to Gumball and gave him the same begging face, but without the words.

I chuckled and nodded, saying, "Sure, but be careful! Remember what I and Daddy Marshall taught you." Then I punched Finn in the shoulder. He winced but laughed, and I said, "No _real_ weapons. Last time they stayed over Marceline had to pry the axe from Ember's fingers."

He rubbed the messy hair on his head and shrugged. "Yeah, I learned my lesson. Don't give vamp kids battle axes."

"No weapons for Felix, either. He's stronger than you think," Gumball said, ruffling his little prince's hair.

"No weapons for the kids! I got it! Can we go now? Please mom?" Finn teased, sticking his tongue out at us. We were the same age, and practically the same person, but he was about as old as Ember and Lilly were mentally.

"Alright! Go. But if anything happens to them, I'm coming after you, Fionna style," I playfully threatened. I don't think he heard me. All he heard was the permission, and they all went sprinting for the arena on the back side of the palace.

Bubblegum smiled after them and Marcy shook her head, staying in the shade, like Marshall, to avoid the rays of sunshine poking through the clouds.

"Sometimes I wonder why I married him," Bubblegum said listlessly before returning her attention to us. "We've had rooms prepared for the children, and we did our best to keep them as close to each other as possible. Oh! And we have some beautiful clothes that our children never wore, so if they grow out of their clothes—"

"_If_ it even takes that long, Bonnibell," Marceline interrupted, leaning against the wall of the front gate.

"It's a war. It could take a few weeks, or it could take years. We really don't know. But knowing they have some clothes to grow into makes me feel better, so thank you PB," I said, grabbing Gumball's hand for comfort.

It went quiet for a moment, the air growing heavy around us. It was easy to pretend like nothing was wrong around the kids simply because we had to. But when we were alone, this war hung over our heads like heavy gas from a smoke bomb.

Marshall broke the silence and discomfort, saying, "So, what's for dinner?"

Peppermint Butler appeared then, bidding us to follow him to our rooms. He was more than used to three adults sleeping together, so they had a room for us that was almost as big as our room back home. And the bed, well… let's just say, three big bodies and three little bodies would sleep well in a bed that big. I knew the kids wouldn't want to sleep without us, and honestly, I wouldn't want to sleep without them.

Dinner that night was a circus. The whole purpose of Finn taking them all to the arena was to tire them out, but all seven of the children were even more pumped and wired than usual. They challenged each other to eating wars, kicked each other under the table, played silly games like telephone and truth or dare, and eventually they got so rowdy that Bubblegum and I sent them to their baths early. They whined and groaned, but Felix happily led the way, ready to wash off the dust and sweat from the brawling earlier.

"You gave them candy cornlettes again, didn't you, Finn?" Marcy accused, floating over to him to sit lightly on his shoulder.

He gave a nervous chuckle and shrugged a little. "I lost a bet! What could I do? They took me down before I could even draw my sword. Those kids are mad skilled," he defended, trying to make himself seem like the victim in this.

"Then _you_ get to put them to bed. All of them," Bubblegum lashed in a cold, unforgiving tone. I got the feeling that he did this a lot.

"I know, I know. Just let me eat my meal in peace before I go wrestle them into bed," Finn groaned, defeated and not even trying to argue with his wife.

Marcy flicked his ear with her fingers before floating off of him, making her way over to us. "Are Lilly and Ember as hard to get into bed as Gabe and Elly?" she asked, again sitting lightly on the shoulder of the chair, balancing there and crossing her arms just above Gumball.

"As long as Lilly has a book, she'll do anything we ask her to. Ember, well… Ember can be a challenge," Marshall answered, sucking the red out of an apple.

"Remember nap time when they were two? Glob! It was like a reoccurring nightmare!" Gumball chimed in, reaching out to grab Marshall's hand.

Marcy and Bubblegum giggled, knowing just what we were talking about. I smiled, pushing the food on my plate around and thinking about what an adventure it was to raise my children. I was going to miss them. I could already feel it coming—that tight, heavy feeling in my chest. The feeling I got when I had to leave them behind for some mission I wasn't sure I would come back from.

Gumball's big yawn broke my concentration as he stretched and politely excused himself. "We've had such a long day. I'd like to prepare for bed now, if my queen and my consort would like to join me?"

Marshall set down his apple and floated out of his chair, coming to help me out of mine. The others all agreed that some rest would be nice for them, too. Well, everyone but Finn, who was dreading trying to put the kids down to sleep.

Like usual, we showered quickly, dressed quickly, and prepared the bed for ourselves and our kids. To our surprise, the sugar high wore off really quickly, and we almost had to carry them to the bed before they passed out where they stood. I had Lilly and Ember both cuddled up inside the nook of my arms, snoring lightly into the dimmed light of the room. I looked over to see Felix sprawled out between Gumball and Marshall, taking up most of their portion of the bed, and giggled to myself. I was the only one left awake, my mind riddled with thoughts and fears and hopes and dreams. When the terrifying thoughts became too much, I held my daughters closer to me, and eventually, I fell asleep too.

* * *

We stayed there for just under a week, spending as much time with the children and with our Ooo neighbors as we could. I had a chance to talk to Simon and ask him about Sam, and even though he was really shy about it, I got him to admit that once she comes over from Aaa, he's going to propose to her.

The kids were easily distracted by playing in the arena together. Even though Gabe and Elly were older, Lilly and Ember matched them almost perfectly in combat skill. Felix and Sofia spent a lot of time in the kitchen with Gumball learning new recipes with different ingredients. Gumball was Sofia's favorite uncle, simply because she loved to bake as much as he did. And where Sofia went, Felix liked to follow.

Koda had the same sort of attitude as Felix, focusing hard on his studies and princely duties. He wasn't as much of a fighter, but give him a chemistry set and the kid could make a bomb that threatened to wipe out half of Ooo. Bubblegum and Simon were usually too impressed with him to teach him restraint, but Finn was always there to tell him that if he ever made anything dangerous, he had to make it for the good of everyone.

The days practically flew right by us, our week ending faster than it began.

"Mommy, I don't want you and Daddy Gumball and Daddy Marshall to go!" Felix whined as we were packing our bags to leave.

"I know, sweetie, but we have to. Your daddies and I have to do some things in Aaa to make it safe again," I cooed, turning to sit on the floor against the bed. I opened my arms up to him, and he gently sat in my lap, leaning his sulky head on my chest.

"When are you coming back?" he asked, fiddling with his fingers again.

Gumball came and sat down next to us, stroking the hair out of Felix's face. "We'll be back as soon as we can. Even if we can't stay long, I promise we will all come to see you as much as we can." I hadn't thought of it, but he was right. We didn't _have_ to stay in Aaa the whole time. We could come and visit the kids in lulling periods during the war. We could come and check on them and show them that we weren't abandoning them.

Felix sniffled and whimpered, "Okay," into my shirt, not wanting to move.

I wrapped my arms tight around him and buried my face into his sweet, pink hair. "You be good for Finn and Marcy and Bubblegum, okay? And help them with your sisters," I commanded, knowing that responsibility would lighten his mood tremendously.

He shifted his head to look up at me, a smile on his face. "As my Lady Mother wishes," he recited before climbing out of my lap to bow to me and his father. Felix darted out of the room, probably to look for his sisters and make sure they weren't getting into trouble.

"You guys ready to go?" Marshall asked, floating above us.

"I'll never be ready. But I'll go, because I have to," I said mindlessly, watching the door swing shut behind my little prince.

After we finished packing, Peppermint Butler had our things taken down to the entry hall where Cake was crying over the kids and saying her goodbyes. I bit back my own tears, knowing that if I cried, they would know that things were much worse than we made them out to be. I sat on my knees and hugged all three of them closely to me, giving them big mommy kisses on their heads and cheeks, telling them how much I loved them and how much I missed them. Gumball and Marshall patiently waited for their turns, saying goodbye to the others in the meantime.

When I finally let them go, they were smothered in more kisses and hugs from their fathers, Ember and Lilly being less careful about how hard they hugged Marshall than with Gumball and I. I couldn't count how many times I said thank you to Finn and Marcy and Bubblegum as I hugged them goodbye. I told them that we would come whenever we had the chance, and that if they ever needed anything, we would be there for them.

Cake stretched again into her carriage form just outside the palace, making a canopy so Marshall could get in without being seared alive by the sun. Gumball followed him in quickly after, and just as I was about to get in, I turned away and ran at my kids, giving them all one big hug, holding them there, taking in their scent and the way they looked and how grown up they'd become.

With one final goodbye, I climbed into the Cake Cabin, and waved and smiled at them through the window opening, until the point where we couldn't see them anymore.

Then, I cried. I cried and I sobbed as Marshall and Gumball held me close, weeping with me.

Glob, I missed them so much.


	16. Chapter 16: 108 Weeks

**Week One:**

There were sightings of shadow soldiers scattered about Aaa when we came back. Nothing too horrible, I was told, so no one worried too much about it. Gumball, Cake, Lord and I immediately went to the Candy Council and drew up a contract naming Cake and Lord as the guardians of Prince Felix, Princess Lilly and Princess Ember, should anything happen to us. The council, having other plans for the prince if we didn't come back, reluctantly signed the contract, officially putting Cake and Lord in charge of them.

Right after the council meeting, the four of us rushed to meet Marshall and Flame King in the Fire Kingdom to get a better report on what was happening.

"It seems they were only scouting parties. They started showing up in the Rock Kingdom, then spread to the Grass Kingdom and the Gloaming Forests. It hasn't been anything small groups couldn't handle, but we have yet to see an actual army, or a leader, for that matter," Flame King said as he and I leaned over the table covered in maps and pins. The black pins represented the shadow scouting parties that have been seen so far, and the other colors represented the troops we controlled.

"Has anyone been able to find where they're coming from?" I asked, my eyes glued to the maps as I studied them.

Flame King stood up, the air around him getting uncomfortable. "Nowhere. They just… appear. Our reports say they literally come from the shadows."

I shifted my eyes to him, studying his uneasy demeanor. "I guess we should have expected that. It's a shadow army, after all. I was just hoping we could come up with a better source than shadows," I replied, focusing on the maps and pins again. "Send out scouting parties into all of the grounded kingdoms. No need to send them to the Cloud Kingdom or the Party God's domain. We need to figure out where they'll be coming from," I commanded, taking some pins and placing them in the places I thought should be scouted.

"Right on it, m'lady," I heard a familiar voice say. I immediately stood straight up, looking right to the person the voice came from.

"Hunter Wizard? Oh my glob, I haven't seen you in years!" I almost squealed as I ran and jumped onto him.

He laughed his big, hearty laugh, and hugged me to him. The smell of the earth and trees and animal fur on him was familiar and comforting. "It's good to see you too, Fionna," he chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, pulling away from him and looking up at his face. "I haven't seen you since we took out that rove of bandits, like, 13 years ago."

"Well, I'll have you know that I'm the general of your scouting parties, so to speak. When I heard that you were calling for troops to fight this blight on Aaa, I couldn't help myself. I had to serve my queen," he said, bowing to me, revealing the daggers strapped to his waist and the bow and quiver of arrows on his back.

"Your queen?" I asked, a little confused. "Don't you serve the queen of the Grass Kingdom?"

"I did," he said, standing up, "but I've been roaming the forests freely for years, so now I don't really have an allegiance. I figured if I had to get one, I'd give it to you."

I smiled and lightly punched him in the arm. He chuckled held the area where I punched him, trying to hide the pain I didn't mean to cause him. "Well, thank you. I could really use your help," I said, crossing my arms and smiling.

He smiled back, then bowed to me. "I need to get going. That's a lot of scouting parties I need to get ready," he said, then turned on his heel and pushed out of the door.

I turned, intending to look through the reports on the desk, but instead found a sulking Flame King. "What's your problem?" I asked, sounding more offended than I wanted to.

"It's nothing," he snapped, crossing his arms and turning his face from me.

"Nothing, my ass. Tell me what's wrong," I demanded, having no patience for toddler fits in a war room.

"What's your deal with that guy, Fionna? Did you sleep with _everyone_ after you left me?" he asked, disgusted.

I didn't know how to react. I stood there, stunned, my jaw hanging open as the anger boiled inside of me. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me. You can't keep your damn legs closed, can you, bunny girl?" he hissed, clenching his fists and taking an offensive stance.

In one quick motion I took a step right in front of him and grabbed his collar in my hand, the flesh searing and stinging as I held him down in front of me. "What I do with my body is _none_ of your business, FP. If you've got a problem with it, then take it out on the battlefield. But I will _not_ tolerate your jealous tantrums right now." I let him go and took a step back, my hands clenched into tight fists. "Grow up, Flame King."

The flames surrounding him grew immensely, almost filling the whole room before he quieted down and stormed out. I threw my good fist into everything I could, then, after the pain became too much, I let the anger go and focused on patching myself up.

**Week 7:**

Flame King and I didn't speak unless it was absolutely necessary. When Marshall and Gumball asked me what happened, I told them we had a difference in views, and that was that. If Marshall got word that Flame King talked to me that way, they would have fought until one of them died.

Hunter Wizard came back three weeks after I sent him out, reporting that the shadow army wasn't just scouting, but preparing to attack.

The first battle started 9 days later, in a canyon in the Rock Kingdom. I headed the troops, being forced into the armor of the Commander Queen, but eager to get to know my enemy. The shadow soldiers were much like the creatures the Lich called through the portal; sheer black with glowing red eyes, and they had almost no end to them. The only difference was that they had mass, they could be cut. Hunter Wizard commanded the archers on top of the canyon, helping us take down shadow soldiers in droves, as the Rock warriors, Wildberry assassins, and even a few vampires slaughtered the waves of shadows that came at us. They weren't particularly hard opponents, but there were so many of them. It was important not to get surrounded.

I learned that the shadow people really _did_ come from the shadows, but more than that. They needed the shadows to manifest themselves. They had no armor, no weapons, nothing of the physical world, but if they had shadows, they could make almost anything. And every little bit of shadow they used wasn't replaced. That's why they chose a canyon. With the sun casting massive shadows from the canyon walls, they had almost a limitless supply of material to manifest what they needed.

Metal clashed on shadow metal. Cries were heard echoing through the canyon as warriors from both sides fell. Arrows flew across the canyon, and the only thing that seemed to have any order to it was the colors of the battling sides. We had color, armor, the flags of our kingdoms plastered on our chests, and they… they were black. The feeling of my blades tearing through flesh, the sound of the arrows flying above me, the sight of the shadow soldiers falling one by one… it was exhilarating! I may have been a queen, and a mother, but I would always, always be a warrior. The adrenaline rushed through my body with every swing of my sword, every clash of my weapons. It flowed through me with precision and the intent to conquer. I was the Hero of Aaa, and it was in my blood, in every fiber of my being. I was made for this.

With only an hour left of sunlight, and almost no shadows left in the canyon, the shadow soldiers retreated back into the shade where they came from. We had our first victory, and very few casualties. Morale was beyond high, and I craved more.

**Week 28:**

We tried all kinds of methods to keep the shadows at bay, but everything we tried either created more shadows, or the shadow soldiers came out of places no one ever thought to look. Eventually, we resorted to just using our brawns to crush the forces as they came.

There were 14 battles since the first one, some lasting only a few hours, some lasting days. I couldn't head every battlefront, because some of them were clear across the world and only hours after the battle I just ended. I trusted my generals, but still, I couldn't help but worry. This whole war was a prelude to some kind of decision I had to make with my children. _I_ was responsible for eliminating the danger. _I _needed to make things right. I wasn't going to let any shadow warrior get past my line of defense.

It was difficult to tell who won and who lost as the days drove by. No one could tell if we had won the battle once night fell over Aaa. Can you win against an opponent that has a nearly unlimited supply of material to keep them going? Even so, when things were quiet enough on the battlefront, either Gumball, Marshall or I would sneak away to Ooo for a few hours to see the kids.

Still, what worried me most was that we have yet to see the commander of the shadow troops. They had generals and admirals, stronger shadows than the rest who charged into battle, but no leader. We still had no idea who started this war.

**Week 50:**

It's been over a year since we left our kids in Ooo so we could fight this war. Every day was a new battle, whether I was returning to the fray or sending out commands to the troops across Aaa. It was tiring, despite all the energy and all the rush I got from fighting. I missed my children, desperately. I felt like I couldn't see them nearly as much as Gumball and Marshall did. I had to be here, fighting back the shadows, leading the army, doing everything in my power to keep Aaa together. Every time I had the chance to get over to Ooo, it seemed like they all grew another two inches. Ember and Lilly managed to grow their hair even longer, and Felix was getting to that awkward puberty stage. They always begged me to stay with them, or to take them back with me, and every time it was a fight between my heart and my morality to leave them again.

We managed to get over half of Aaa completely secure from the shadow army. They didn't enter or appear in the areas we had secured with our own forces, which made it easier to contain the fighting in areas where there weren't as many innocents around. I spent most of my nights sleeping in the shrubbery of the nature around us. Tents were nice and warm, but most of the time, we didn't have the energy to set up camp. Instead, we took turns keeping watch, and sometimes Marshall sent his vampires out to scour the area for any immediate threats. Most of the time, though, he was looking for the leader of the shadow army.

Gumball would force me to come back from the battlefield every now and then to rest and recuperate. Even though I was thankful for the break and the company of my husband, I didn't stay out of the war for long. There was always a problem to be solved, a rogue group of shadow soldiers terrorizing innocents, a battle gone wrong. I was never able to rest for more than a week, and I preferred it that way.

The war may have been happening all over Aaa, but I felt like this was my war, and I had to fight it.

**Week 72:**

Our hospitals were filled up with the wounded and dying. The war was becoming a heavy burden, but a successful one. Our troops were dwindling as the days raced by, but we weren't the only ones affected. The shadow soldiers didn't have nearly the same numbers as they used to. Whoever was controlling them, making them, sending them out, was losing their grip on this war. We were winning, and despite all our injuries, we were hopeful for an end.

Doctor Prince worked overtime with his candy and clown nurses to get everyone back to health. When Gumball wasn't in meetings with the other rulers, he was helping in the hospitals, working hard day and night to grow medicinal herbs in the nearby gardens and helping dress wounds. Marshall became the commander of the night forces, searching the skies for any activity that might point to the next battle place. He fought by my side when he could and led troops elsewhere when he couldn't.

The two of us came back with new wounds every time, but nothing that crippled us too badly. My armor kept me safe, for the most part. I had new scars on my face, chunks of hair missing, and bones that needed to be reset over and over. I didn't care how badly I was beat up during the battle, I always went back. They soldiers looked up to me to lead them, and there was no way I was going to let them down.

I sat up in my tent late one night, going over battle strategies with the generals of the 6 different troops in the area, when Marshall burst in. He startled me, mainly because he was supposed to be surveying the battlefield that surrounded the Ice Kingdom.

"Fionna, we have a problem," he said, his face stern as he spoke.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I asked, a little bewildered. All of the generals turned to look at him, to see what he was going to say.

"It's what's _going_ to happen, Fi. There hasn't been any reports from my vampire team of any activity in any region _other_ than the Ice Kingdom. It's like… it's like they're all amassing there," he spilled out frantically, trying to gather his thoughts as the words flew past his lips.

"The Ice Kingdom? But why there? That doesn't make any sense! They've been spread out all over Aaa for the last 18 months!" I searched the faces of Marshall and my generals, thinking over every last detail that came to mind.

"I don't know. It might be a trap, Lady Fionna. Perhaps we should send out scouting parties in the morning to the other battlefields to see if anything has changed," the commander of the Jungle Kingdom troops suggested, standing up and helping me up from the ground.

"I think he's right, Lady Fionna. Send Hunter Wizard and the scouts out across Aaa and see if there's been any change in activity," the head of the Magic Assassins said, his eyes laying heavily on my face.

"Yes… yes, I'll send out the scouts first thing in the morning. If they're all amassing in the Ice Kingdom, we need to know as soon as possible, and we need to know that this isn't some sort of tricky tactic," I said, studying the map that I had laid out on the table in my tent. "You guys get some rest and prepare your troops for another slaughter in the morning. I need to talk to Marshall alone," I commanded, waving them off. They nodded at my command, and one by one, exited past the still vampire.

Marshall floated over to me, sitting on the table that held all my attention. "Has it really been a year and a half?" he asked quietly, using his finger to lift my chin.

I connected my eyes with his dulling red ones. He was tired, exhausted even. This war was taking a big toll on everyone. "Yeah, it has. When is it going to end, Marshall? When will we be done?" I asked, almost thinking out loud.

He floated up and behind me, wrapping me in his embrace and setting me between his legs, enveloping me in his tender touch. "We'll be fighting until our children are safe. That's the promise we made. We will fight every day until you die of old age, if we have to."

"Until _I_ die of old age?" I asked skeptically, leaning my head back against his shoulder and closing my eyes. His skin was cold, but his touch gave me all the comforting warmth I could want.

"Well, I _am_ still a 19 year old stud. I've just been 19 for over a thousand years, and I'll be 19 for a thousand more, and a thousand more after that," he said lightly, resting his head against mine.

I wasn't sure why, but that hit me hard, like it was news I wasn't aware of. Of course I knew he was immortal, that he would always be 19, but… that just meant…

"I'm going to die first," I said into the enclosed air of the tent, the revelation almost consuming me.

He didn't say anything. He just held me tighter, buried his face in my hair a little deeper. I didn't say anything, either. I didn't want to… to think about it… to talk about it…

We sat there, entangled in each other, letting the lamp burn out. My fast racing thoughts slowed to a sluggish pace, and eventually, I passed out in his arms.

**Week 108:**

Marshall was right. The shadow forces were slowly fading from areas around Aaa and reemerging in the Ice Kingdom. I was too weary of an ambush to take all of my troops there, but I was left with almost no choice. We had lost so many people to this war, and so many more were too hurt to fight. Food was running low, disease spread throughout the camps, and some people deserted us. We were struggling just to keep a scouting force going.

I left Flame King, Commander Zuna of the Jungle Kingdom, General Whisp from the Cloud Kingdom, and Sir Bluerasp of the Wildberry Kingdom in charge of maintaining the smaller forces around Aaa while Marshall, Ghost King, Hunter Wizard and I headed the rest of the army in the Ice Kingdom. Up to that point, the battles never lasted longer than a week, and the shadow forces weren't so many in number that we couldn't overpower them. But that battle…

It was more like a massacre.

For two years we fought this war, all for it to lead up to this point. We were ready.


	17. Chapter 17: The Final Battle

It lasted over 2 months straight. Day in and day out we fought one shadow after another, until some of us became so engulfed in the war that we started fighting our own shadows. We managed to secure 10 acres of a safe zone so that way we had a place to camp and get medical help. Anything beyond the safe zone was considered the battlefield, a cold, frozen wasteland of death that seemed to never end in its carnage.

Blood seeped into the snow for what seemed like miles, and the new snow that was falling trickled onto everything, soaking up the red color. To anyone else, it may have looked like a slaughter had just taken place, but to me, it meant an end to this war we were fighting.

There was still no sign of the creator of the shadow people, no way to tell how this came about or why it started in the first place. All we had to go off of was the generals that led the shadow troops on the battlefield each day. There was no one to negotiate with, no one to take prisoner, no one to kill to end it all. We just had to keep fighting, day in and day out, until it was over.

In the last weeks of the battle, I rallied all our forces to the Ice Kingdom, preparing for the final battle. Sam managed to invent a new serum that sped up the healing process for a short amount of time, and that was administered to everyone in the hospitals who was still willing to fight. Seeress took a place on the battlefield with us when she wasn't keeping watch for any ambushes or assassination attempts, and with her help, she alone could wipe out a 50ft radius of shadow people just by manipulating the energy around them. Her display of power was terrifying to most of our soldiers, and even to our commanders and generals, but it served as a beacon of hope: she was on our side.

Gumball and I were in the tent we set up as command central, going over how many warriors from each kingdom we had left and how many the regents would send us. The fact that we could get the wounded soldiers up and fighting quicker than we expected was a blessing, but Gumball had been working diligently on getting more troops from the larger kingdoms, having them send portions of their guards. We even had the Banana Guards in the safe zone to keep the peace.

Flame King walked in, his flames low so that he wouldn't catch the tent on fire. Gumball and I both looked up at him in surprise, and he seemed to look at us the same way.

"Is there something you need?" I said in a controlled tone. We hadn't talked much since that little spat when the war first started, and I didn't plan on changing that without an apology.

"N—no. Well… maybe. I need to know what the plans are for my particular set of troops. They fight great in the snow, but only for short periods. Having them in a cold, wet environment like this for too long will only make them weak," he answered, standing tall to look like he wasn't rattled by the fierce look I was giving him.

"Then have your forge master make better, more protective armor for them. If you're really worried, pull them out in small groups at a time and have them rest and regenerate in a dryer place. We can't afford to lose any more people, Flame King," I commanded. I assumed we were done, so I focused my attention back to the agreements Gumball had brought to me from the other kingdoms. Flame King didn't leave, though. He just stood there silently, his eyes boring into me. "Is there anything else?" I asked, feeling a little peeved.

"Yes. I—I wanted to apologize… for what I said. It was wrong of me, and… I'm sorry…" he stuttered, his fists clenched hard at his side, his cheeks bright red and his gaze stuck on the floor of the tent.

"Apology accepted. Now could you please leave?" I said, still feeling irritated.

"Wait, what did you say to her?" Gumball asked, confused and sounding a little angry.

"It's none of your business, Gummy Boy. Stay out of it," he spat, his flames going hotter.

I slammed the papers I had in my hands down onto the table and stomped over to him, once again getting in his face, my anger boiling within me. "You have no right to speak to my husband that way. Just because you can't keep your jealous mouth shut does not mean that you can get all pissed off at everything you disagree with. It's been almost 16 years since we broke up, FP. It's time to move on and to stop taking your anger out on everyone around you." I glared up into his flaming orange eyes, doing my best to keep my breathing controlled. I took a step away and turned my back to him, feeling like I'd given this fool too much of my waning energy. "Now, if you're done here, please leave."

"No. Not until you accept my apology," he demanded, laying a hand gently and reluctantly on my shoulder.

I pushed his hand off and whipped around to face him. "You want me to accept your apology? Fine. I accept it. But on one condition: you fight in this war until your flames of hatred die out, and then after that, you move the flip on. Stop putting your burdens on everyone else, because we all have our own battles to deal with. We don't need yours, too."

He let out a long sigh and nodded, looking defeated and torn. "I will, Fionna." He let out a sad chuckle and grinned, looking nostalgic and depressed. "You never did like my angry flames," he said, looking down and turning to head out.

"Your happy flames were much more beautiful," I recited, remembering what I told him the last time we had a fight. We were teenagers, and we had no idea what we were doing, but I always told him that he was much more beautiful when he was happy.

He stopped right at the entrance of the tent, a small smile on his face, and headed out into the cold, snowy night.

* * *

We'd been on the battlefield for 13 hours straight, facing the only troops that the shadow army had left. They had four generals, two admirals, and a commander that led them all. We faced them down with the snowy blizzard lashing at us with wind and ice, making it hard to see and even harder to shoot. Behind me stood the remainder of our troops from all the different kingdoms; a handful from Wildberry Kingdom, about 60 soldiers from Rock Kingdom, the rest of the royal guard from the Candy Kingdom, whatever troops Flame King could spare, the special forces of the Cloud Kingdom, the beast tamers of the Jungle Kingdom, the archers of the Grass Kingdom, the wizards who came from Wizard City, half of the remaining army from Lumpy Space, and whoever else was willing and able to fight.

The battle had drawn to a standstill, both sides beyond exhausted, both sides wanting to end this war once and for all. I locked my sight onto the commander of the shadow army, a big, bruiting man with shadow armor that only made him seem bigger, harder to defeat. He and I stood at the head of our armies in the middle of the bloody, snow-covered battlefield, he with his massive spear, and me with my crystal sword in one hand and the sword Billy gave me in the other.

Slowly, carefully, he raised his spear into the air, and growled out his command to attack.

I lifted the gold and black sword Billy gave me into the air, and with all my might, screamed my final command. "ATTAAAACK!"

Wave after wave of soldiers raced past me, weapons in hand, thrusting themselves into the heart of the battle. Their roars and cries for conquest and power echoed in the lashing whips of the wind, only the sound of metal on metal being louder.

I flew through the battlefield, slashing, hacking, letting that adrenaline guide me to my destination, letting that bloodlust take over and tell my limbs where to go. I ducked under slashing blades and dodged past wild-flying arrows, using the shadow bodies to catapult me into the air so I could come down hard on a stronger opponent, cutting them down with my swords in their necks and chests. Whenever they fell, they let out a choking, horrible, ear-piercing screech that almost left me deaf. I could feel my body wanting to stop, wanting to collapse, but my sheer will, my need to win, drove me on further. I needed to find him. I needed to find their last commander and take him down.

I pulled my blade out of the stomach of a shadow soldier, realizing that I had cleared a path that led straight into the heart of their troops; only a place where a coward of a commander would be. I darted down the path, holding the tips of my blades to the ground as I sprinted and slicing through the skulls of the shadows that began to rise up from the snow. With one massive shadow ogre in my way, I leapt up onto his bent knee, piercing him with my swords and using them as leverage to swing myself up onto his shoulder. He howled out in pain, swinging his massive shadowy claws desperately, trying to hit me and get my blades out of him. I pulled them out myself, holding them both above my head before spinning them around and plunging them deep into the back of his neck. Without skipping a beat, I used his lumbering body to push myself off and into the air, jumping clear over another 5 or 6 rows of shadow soldiers trying to get at me.

My breath came fast and heavy, my chest expanding and contracting rapidly to get enough air. I'd been fighting for too long. The broken ribs I never let set were throbbing, the stitches in my arms and legs and sides were leaking, and my body felt frail from sacrificing meals so I could feed my soldiers. But still, that _need_ pumped through my veins. The Hero's Blood that Seeress talked so adamantly about all those years ago refused to let me collapse. It pushed me on, forced me to keep going.

There, in the center of 5 pillars of ice, stood the commander of the shadow army; my enemy. The two of us were alone, over 30 yards away from the battle behind us. Again, we were at a standoff. His big, sharp-toothed grin crawled across his face as he raised his spear, pointing it at me. I panted hard, trying to catch my breath, and spit out the blood that was pooling around my tongue.

"My queen sends her regards, human," he said in his rough, growling, foreign voice. Only the higher ranking shadows could speak, and the more intelligent they were, the easier it was to understand them.

"Tell me who sent you! Tell me why this happened!" I demanded, keeping my focus on his stupid grinning face and trying not to pay attention to the throbbing ache throughout my body.

"You will know soon enough," he taunted. Then, with incredible speed and strength, he appeared right in front of me, his fist lodged deep into my stomach.

I couldn't breathe… I couldn't breathe! I was choking! And something… something else cracked… probably another rib. I fell to the ground, the cold snow shocking my senses. Quickly, I gathered all the snow I could and held it against my gasping chest, stuffing it into my armor. The cold had a trick of making my lungs work again, and I coughed and choked on the air that flooded into me.

"Pathetic mortal," he sneered, his armored boot crashing into my back. The weight of it crushed another two or three ribs, the pain racking through my body at an incredible rate. He dug the toe of his boot in between my shoulders, twisting it back and forth, sending waves of agony through my body as my cracked ribs and opened wounds pulsed with pain.

I reached for my crystal sword, finding its pink handle under the flurrying snow, swallowing down the screams of sheer agony I was feeling. He saw me reach for it, and with the boot he had crushing into my back, he stepped off of me and kicked the sword out of my hand.

Perfect.

With his balance off and his hold on me gone, I flipped myself over as fast as I could, drawing out Billy's Sword that I had hidden under my body, and thrust the blade as deep as I could up into his stomach. It pierced through his heavy armor and shadow skin with ease, gliding its way through all of his organs, and stopping just short of his heart. With sword in hand and his body hanging almost limply around it, I managed to stand myself up, keeping the sword lodged where it was.

"Tell me who your queen is," I growled, staring him straight in the eye.

He grinned at me, shadowy liquid I could only assume to be blood spilling from his lips. Then, without warning, he let his body buckle, making my blade slice even deeper, and severing his heart.

Slowly, the body of the shadow commander drifted into the bellowing winds like the sandy dust of a crumbling statue. As his body dissipated , my sword became more and more visible, until eventually it fell into the snow altogether.

There was cheering behind me, a loud sound of victory chiming through the whipping, icy winds. I turned to see what was happening and found that the commander wasn't the only one who'd withered into dust. With him gone and no one left to control them, all of the shadow soldiers faded into the wind.

I felt a familiar force crash into me, pummeling us to the ground and holding me tightly. "We won! Fionna, we won! It's over! There's nothing left!" Marshall cried, engulfing me in his crushing and excited embrace.

I was still in shock. Nothing I heard or felt or saw was getting through to my brain. I didn't know if it was because I didn't believe we'd won yet, or because I couldn't believe we never found out who started the war in the first place.

"Fionna? Fionna! Can you hear me?" Marshall's voice began to fade as my body slowly gave out on me. I pushed it too hard. I fought too long.

The pain was numbing.

The exhaustion was overwhelming.

The knowledge that this was all over… that was comforting.

A comfortable, warm blanket of nothing fell over me as everything faded out.

We did it! We won…


	18. Chapter 18: Celebrations

Marshall carried me back to the camp, my body limp in his arms as I slowly regained consciousness. We were greeted with an overwhelming amount of gratitude and triumph from everyone who was left. The uplifted and celebratory energy alone was enough to make me stand on my own feet… with the help of my lovers holding me up.

I knew everyone wanted to congratulate and celebrate our victory, but I had something else in mind. Gumball and Marshall helped me into the commanders tent, where I gave the official report of the end of the war. Flame King wanted to wrap his arms around me and fling me around in a massive hug, but Marshall quickly close-lined him, keeping him away from me.

"Sorry, FP, but I'm just here for the report. I have some people I miss dearly waiting for me," I apologized, shooting Marshall a you-didn't-have-to-be-that-mean glance. He shrugged and came over to me, scooping me into his arms.

Flame King sat up, smiling and shaking his head. "Fine. Go. But I expect a full, Aaa-wide celebration when you get back."

I saluted him as best I could, and in one quick step, Gumball climbed onto Marshalls back, and we were off to the portal to Ooo. I took the time we had to rest in Marshall's arms, closing my eyes and enjoying the peaceful break. I must have fallen asleep, because before I knew it, I heard the screaming, squealing excitement of my three children.

"You're back! Mom! Daddy Marshall! Daddy Gumball! You're all back! And you're _together_!" Felix cried as he darted for us, his arms open wide. Gumball climbed off of Marshalls back and stepped in front of us, bracing himself for impact and keeping the full-force bear hug away from us.

Marshall set me down on my feet gently, my strength back to where it was before the battle that day. Felix crashed into Gumball, knocking them both over, and as the girls flew at us from the top of the palace, Marshall caught them both in mid-air, making sure neither of them killed me in their excitement.

"Be careful with Mom, kids. She's hurt pretty bad," Gumball warned, picking himself and Felix up from the ground and coming over to me so I could lean on him. The kids surrounded us, their faces bright and their questions burning.

"Mom! Tell us! Tell us what happened!" Ember exclaimed, nearly vibrating with anticipation.

"We did it, guys! We won the war," I said, trying not to sound as weak and hurt as I felt.

The girls squealed and hugged each other tightly, bouncing up and down. In the distance I could see Marcy, Finn and Bubblegum rush towards us, their kids following right after them.

"Is it true? Is it really over?" Marceline demanded as she stopped just short of our little family group.

"It happened just over an hour ago. We won! Fionna took out their very last commander. All of the shadow warriors turned to dust and floated away. There's nothing left," Gumball informed them, taking on more and more of my weight as my legs began to give out on me.

"Let's talk about this later. Can we borrow a bath, some medical supplies, and a bed? Fionna needs her rest," Marshall asked, again scooping me gently into his arms.

"Yes, of course! Follow me," Bubblegum said, turning on her heel and walking quickly to the palace.

To my delight, we found Sam and Simon there, happily married and ready to help. Sam prepared an herbal bath for me and washed me down properly, tsk-ing at my open wounds and gently scolding me for not being more careful, but congratulating me nonetheless. When I finished my bath, Simon helped to set my ribs and other bones back into place, wrapping me up tightly in bandages and re-stitching my gashes. I was more beat up than I thought, but it was totally worth it.

Marshall and Gumball came into the bathroom where they were patching me up and led me to the bedroom that had been set up for me. On the bed were my children, ready to tuck me in and get me anything I needed. On the couches and chairs and furniture around the room was everyone else, eagerly awaiting me to recant my tales. I chuckled to myself at all the eager faces around me, waiting to hear what I had to say. Lilly cuddled up on one side of me, and Felix curled up on the other, with Ember sitting on the edge of the bed, her bright face connecting with mine instantly.

For hours I talked, telling them about everything that happened. The battles, the bloodshed, the fights within our camps and the deserters we faced. Felix cringed at my side when my stories became too gory, but Ember, Lilly, and the other kids listened intently to everything I said. Well after midnight is when I finally reached the end of my story—the part where the commander almost shattered my body, but I tricked him and sliced him with my sword, leaving him to fall on my blade and kill himself. Most of the children had fallen fast asleep, and quietly the adults removed them one by one to their own rooms. I said goodnight to them all, and when everyone had left, Marshall and Gumball slipped into bed with me.

It was the first time in over two years that we were able to sleep together again.

* * *

Two weeks later, as promised, we threw a month-long celebration across all of Aaa. Our neighbors from Ooo joined in, and the palace was filled to the brim with dancing, drunk, and happy visitors.

I took the time to really get to know my kids again. Felix had grown so much that, within the year, I knew he would be taller than me. He was going on 14 years old, and on his 15th birthday, if Gumball decided, Felix would take over the kingdom and rule as prince.

Ember and Lilly still looked exactly the same. To anyone else, I should say. I could see their subtle nuances that formed their completely opposite personalities, but not everyone was so lucky. While in Ooo, they picked up a game from Elly and Gabe where they would act exactly the same, look exactly the same, and even wear contacts so they couldn't be told apart. Then, they would go around the palace and ask people if they could tell who was who. It was a sneaky, but effective, way to get what they wanted from people.

Gabe and Ember became the closest thing to boyfriend and girlfriend that Marshall and Bubblegum would allow. I agreed to a point that she was too young to date, but Marshall was against her dating until she was older than him. Which was silly, and wasn't going to happen. Gabe really appreciated her brash, harsh personality, even though he was a good 4 years older than her. I guess he didn't see it as a romantic thing like Ember, Marshall and Bubblegum did. Still, I thought it was cute, and to tease Marshall, I would refer to Gabe as our future son-in-law.

Felix, however, _was_ allowed to date Sofia. They were a cute, quiet couple, and the most they ever did was hold hands. When Cake tried to explain the tiers to him, it went right over his head. I was glad for that, because he really didn't need to know anything about tier 15 like I did when I was his age.

With my wounds healing up quickly and my bones setting right, I was able to dance and sing and drink with my lovers again. Everyone complained about our public affection, especially the kids, but we didn't care. We all fought in the same war for two years, and we all came out alive. I was going to kiss my men whenever the lump I wanted.

Seeress, although happy with the outcome, didn't celebrate with us like I thought she would. Something seemed to plague her, and she kept to her rooms more often than not. When I asked her about it, she said she just felt a little strange, but that she was fine.

Every few days the massive party would move from kingdom to kingdom. All of the people celebrating in the streets and cheering us on as we went was nearly overwhelming. There were all sorts of awards and ceremonies held in each kingdom, and not one solider was forgotten. Every person who fought in the war was considered Aaa's Hero. No one truly knew how it ended, or that I ended it. They all just knew that it was a curse that had been lifted, and now, everyone was safe. That's the way I preferred it to be.

Each night, no matter how exhausted we were, Marshall, Gumball and I still managed to make love to each other, holding each other tightly and thoroughly enjoying the fact that we were still alive. And every morning, after a deep, restful sleep, we spent our time with our kids, getting to know them again after our long absence.

There was a statue erected in every kingdom, honoring the fallen with plaques and remembering the ones who fought until the very end. In the Candy Kingdom, they insisted that they make the statue of me in my armor, but I refused. I may have gathered the troops to fight the war, and I may have stood on the front lines of every battle I could get to, but this wasn't about me. Instead, I had them dedicate a wall around the palace city to all of those who fought in the war. That way, when the next big disaster hit, that wall could be added to, and everyone would be remembered.

The celebration was exhausting, but the energy and strength of the people we celebrated with gave me the drive to keep dancing, to keep laughing, to keep drinking and feasting and talking and giggling throughout the night. Part of me wanted the celebrations to end, but part of me never wanted it to stop.

We deserved this. We deserved one massive party, not just to celebrate the end of a war, but to commemorate those who fought in it, and those who couldn't be there with us to dance and sing. If all of this was going to go down in Aaa's history, then I'd rather have it end with joy flooding the land.

At last, things seemed peaceful.


	19. Chapter 19: Decision

As the celebrations came to an end, everyone departed to their own kingdoms, choosing to either celebrate amongst their own people there, or to call it a night and try to reestablish normalcy.

Gumball, in his grandiose love for festivities, continued the party in the Candy Kingdom. There was a ball one night, a carnival the next day, a kingdom-wide feast after that, concerts everywhere, and finally, it ended with a day-long festival.

Bubblegum and I were sitting on a bench that evening, sipping on the famous Wildberry Wine in our glasses, catching up on everything I didn't get to see with my children. Finn said that Ember and Lilly were quite the team, and when they worked together, they could take down any opponent. Bubblegum talked about the mischief all four of the twins would cause throughout the kingdom, switching clothes, tricking candy citizens into doing silly things… that sort of thing. She praised Felix for all his hard work, and told me all about how he and Koda had a special, secret challenge between them to find out who the better prince was. If he wasn't challenging Koda, he was baking with Sofia.

Her and I laughed and chatted well into the night, the warmth of the fires in the torches keeping us warm in the fall breeze, the laughter and music aiding our conversation as the minutes passed.

"You know, I haven't seen my twin troublemakers lately. Have you?" I asked Bubblegum curiously. I was used to the girls wandering off and getting easily distracted, but it'd been hours since I'd seen them.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't. Let's see," she said, sitting up straight and looking around her. "Felix and Sofia are at the cotton candy stand… and my three youngest are over there, probably arguing over who gets to ride in the Cake Cabin next… but no, I can't see Ember or Lilly anywhere," she concluded, concern riddling her face.

For whatever reason, I could feel a pressure rising rapidly in my heart. Something felt wrong, and suddenly it became more than important to find my girls. "I'm going to go look for them, PB. Keep a look out for me, okay?" I said, pushing off the bench and wandering into the joyous festival.

She gave me some sort of acknowledgement as I walked away, but I couldn't hear her clearly. My senses went sharp and my mind focused to a pin-point accuracy. I looked for any sign at all that would indicate my girls had been anywhere near the festival lately.

"Fi! I can't find Ember or Lilly. Have you seen them?" Marshall asked, swooping down next to me from the air.

"No, I haven't, and it worries me. I've been looking for them, but I haven't found them yet," I answered, my attention never-wavering.

He landed next to me and fluently went from flying to walking, keeping his eyes and ears open. "Wait," he said, putting his hand out to stop me. "I hear them… they're giggling… out by the edge of the festival. Come on, this way!" Marshall grabbed my hand, and before I knew it, we were zipping past candy citizens and food stands and other kinds of amusement.

We were rapidly approaching the end of the light from the festival; the area just outside of the city that had no torches or lights lit. It was eerily dark, and colder than I was comfortable with. In no time at all, I heard what he was hearing. I heard their laughter.

As my eyes began to adjust to the darkness of the autumn night, I was beginning to make out Ember and Lilly, the light from the festival casting a very dull and far-off glow on their faces. They were sitting on their knees, facing each other… and someone else…

"How nice of you to finally come and introduce me to my grandchildren, Marshall Lee," a cold, calculated, familiar voice rang out from the shadows.

As the darkness wisped its way around her, her stone, business-like face appearing in the same dull glow that gently lit Ember and Lilly's faces. My heart felt like it squeezed itself into a pressured stone, then dropped to the pit of my stomach. I had never been so scared in my life.

"What are you doing here?" Marshall hissed, his fists clenched into tight boulders at his sides.

"Daddy! Why didn't you tell us about Granma? She's so cool!" Ember exclaimed, turning to us and showing us the amulet her and Lilly had been giggling over.

"Look at the cool necklace she wants to give us, Mom! She said we could have it, but we wanted to ask you first," Lilly finished for Ember, poking at the red ruby that sat in the center of it.

I knew what that was. It was the necklace that the ruler of the Nightosphere had to wear.

"Girls, you need to put that down. Now." My voice shook hard, but I tried to sound confident and commanding.

Hannah wrapped her arms around the girls shoulders, holding them to her, a crooked, forced smile crawling across her lips. "Why won't you let them have a gift from their grandmother, dear Fionna? It's only natural," she cooed, holding them tighter.

"It's okay, Mommy, we like Granma! She's really nice," Lilly soothed, smiling gently at me.

"Ssshhhh now, girls. It's time to sleep," Hannah whispered. With a few waves of her fingers, both Ember and Lilly fell to the ground beside her, knocked out completely. I cried out, reaching for them, terrified that she'd done something terrible, when my movement was stopped by a cold hand around my throat. Hannah's face was glaring right into mine, her chilled, unwavering red eyes piercing into my soul. "You will _not_ interfere any longer, human. You've thwarted me _twice_ now, and I will not tolerate your involvement any longer," she spat, throwing me against Marshall.

I gripped my throat and coughed as the air rushed back into my lungs. Marshall pushed me behind him, ready to protect me. "What do you mean, _twice_? We've done nothing but live our lives and raise our children since she destroyed your contracts that one time," Marshall questioned, his stance tense and ready to pounce.

"Yes, the children I never met, until now. Tell me, Marshall, what kind of son doesn't introduce his own mother to his children?" she taunted, standing straight up and looking like a stern lawyer in her pinstripe pantsuit and tight bun.

"The kind who has a mother with other intentions. What do you want, Mother? Why are you here?" Marshall demanded. I tried to come out from behind him, to prepare for a fight, but he pushed me back, keeping me from getting involved.

"Your human harlot has been getting on my nerves for far too long, Marshall. She keeps me from my ultimate goals. First, the contract. Now, the army I spent years preparing." Her stone cold eyes shifted, only slightly, to blare themselves into mine. I could see her anger, feel her rage, and I met all of her wrath with a wrath of my own.

"You? _You_ sent the shadow army? But why? Why would you do that to us?" I demanded, forcing my way out from behind Marshall so I could face her on my own.

She smirked a little, as if my disbelief was amusing to her. "Why do you think, mortal? My time as the ruler of the Nightosphere is up. I sent the army to turn the upper world into a wasteland. With nothing left to care for here, Marshall would have no choice but to come back to me, to be the king he was meant to be."

"_The shadows dawn from here upon to take him back where he belongs. Two children instead will be lured and led to the place of darkness where evil is bred_," I recited, my eyes dropping to the ground as I once again remembered the prophecy.

"Ah, yes, that reminds me. Your little child witch is more bothersome than I anticipated. She will be eliminated in due time. As for the prophecy, well, I assume you know what that means," Hannah said, pacing in front of me like a war commander in front of her troops.

"You want our _children_? What's wrong with you?!" Marshall exclaimed, his eyes frantically searching her cold, careless face.

"I do not care who it is that takes over my position. I simply need someone of my line. Either of your girls will do, if you will not take the throne yourself, Marshall." Her voice was cold, uncaring. It was like a business proposal. Or blackmail.

"You're insane if you think _anyone_ is going back with you!" I spat, ready to lunge at her.

"Ah ah ah! Before you make such promises, consider what I've just done to your children. As of now, they're in a deep sleep, a coma, if you will. If I do not give the command to wake them, they'll stay like that. Forever. For an immortal like ourselves, that is a fate far worse than death." Her crooked, unnatural smile appeared again as she watched us writhe beneath her trickery. "So now, you're left with a decision. As the parents of these little demons, you may choose whether it is Marshall who comes with me to the Nightosphere, or you may choose one of your daughters."

"You're sick," I whispered, the words forcing themselves out of my quivering body.

"Despite what you may think, I do have a heart. If you decide to part with one of your daughters, I will ensure that neither you nor anyone else remembers her. She will simply be cut from your hearts and memories from this point out. To you, she will no longer exist." For a moment, just a moment, I thought I saw a spark of compassion cross her face.

"How _dare_ you. How DARE you! They are my daughters! They're my world! I will NOT let you have them!" Marshall screamed. In a flash he sprinted at her, claws out and teeth barred, ready to tear her throat out like a wild beast.

Hannah side-stepped him with ease, letting him crash into the ground behind her. She glanced at him, observing his defeated position, and sighed. "I never should have let your father bite you so early. You're incapable of developing past the age of 19. How pathetic."

Marshall slowly raised himself from the ground, his eyes glowing with hatred as clumps of grass and dirt fell from his face.

I jumped in between them, holding my arms out in a cease-fire motion. "Wait! Wait… what if… what if I go? What if I take over the Nightosphere? I'll do it if you leave my family alone," I said, trying to sound firm in my decision. To be honest, I didn't really know what was coming out of my mouth as I talked. Instinct led me to get between them and offer myself as the sacrifice.

"Nice try, human, but you overstep your limits. Only one of my blood can take the throne of the Nightosphere. It will either be Marshall, or one of the twins." Hannah looked me up and down, assessing me, thinking me over, before sneering and turning her gaze to Marshall.

"I'll go," Marshall said, standing up from the dirt and grass. "I'll go with you. I won't fight. Just… let my girls go. Let my family go." His head dropped, his black, shaggy hair hiding his face.

I stood there in utter awe, not knowing what to think of this. "Very well. If that is your decision, prove it. Take this amulet of your own free will. Wear it as you would as the King of the Nightosphere. When that is done, I will let your daughters go."

I watched as Marshall slowly walked over to her, reaching for the amulet that she held in her hands.

"What the junk is going on here?" I heard Gumball exclaim from behind me. With tears in my eyes I turned to him, letting my face tell him everything that was happening. "Oh no… Marshall? Marshall! Don't do this!"

"Don't stop me, Bubba. I have to. It's the only way," Marshall said, his tone sharp and unwavering.

He picked up the amulet and slipped it over his head. There was a red and white beam of light that shot through it, lighting up the entire area in a brilliant show of power. Then, as the light sank back to the amulet, Marshall recited, "I, Marshall Lee, the Vampire King, hereby take command of the throne of the Nightosphere. From this moment forth, I shall be known as The King of the Nightosphere."

Hannah walked up to him, stroking his face with her cold, blue hand. "Very good, my boy. Very good. I think you'll be of much more use in the underworld. Now, shall I erase their minds of you?" she asked, as if it was just another magic trick that she would perform for her beloved son.

"No!" I screamed, sobbing and falling to my knees. "No, don't. Don't do it. I want… I want to remember you. I want to remember everything about you. Please… please don't take yourself away from us," I begged, gripping the grass in my hands, my tears flooding to the ground in an uncontrollable rush.

Hannah glared down at me in disgust, sneering at my show of weakness. I saw Marshall's limbs tremble as he stood in front of me. I felt the heaving of Gumball's chest as he cried above me.

It finally happened. We had finally been broken.

Marshall appeared in front of me, falling to his knees and holding my tear-stained face in his hands. He kissed me hard, rough, passionately, with need and hunger and sadness and anger and joy and everything in between. I kissed him back with the same intensity, the same need, the same overwhelming emotion that flooded my body. He pulled away and gave Gumball the same kiss, wiping away his tears and smiling sadly at us.

"I love you. I love you so much. Please, tell the kids how much I love them," he said, standing up and taking a step away from us.

"No, please… please don't go, Marshy! Please! You can't leave us!" Gumball begged beside me, getting to his feet and reaching for Marshall.

The tears streamed down Marshalls face as he stepped back, avoiding Gumball's grasp. "I'm sorry, Bubba… I had no choice… I'm so sorry… "

Gumball and I stared after him as he turned his back to us. Hannah snickered and hooked her arm in his, waving her free arm and revealing the portal that led to the Nightosphere. "If you're ready, Marshall, we can leave now."

Marshall took a big breath and began to turn his head to us, then stopped, and dropped his gaze to the ground. "Fionna, Gumball… please… don't come after me."

And with that, he stepped right into the portal, disappearing before our eyes.

Hannah snapped her fingers, the sound seeming to echo through us, allowing the girls to slowly wake up. "I do not envy you, Fionna the Human. But do as he says, and your heart will heal in time."

Just as Marshall had done, she stepped into the portal. It closed like a hungry mouth around her, not leaving a single trace of either of them behind.

"M—mommy? What's wrong?" Ember asked, a little scared and more than a little confused.

"Come with me back to the palace, girls," Gumball demanded when he saw I wasn't going to move.

I sat there, on my knees in the cold grass, my eyes glued to the area where Marshall once was.

"But what about—" Lilly started.

"Now!" Gumball interrupted, sounding angry, and mean, and terrified.

From the side of my vision I could see them float up and head towards the palace. Gumball turned to follow them, but stopped and wiped his tears away. "Marshall…" he whimpered, before letting out a great sob, and walking towards the palace again.

I sat in heart break and disbelief as the cold autumn wind lashed at the tears on my face. So often, I was the sacrifice. I was the one willing to give it all to save the ones I loved. But this… this was so much harder to bear.

My body was numb. My mind was empty. My mouth was dry and my muscles were stiff. The only thing that worked was my tears and my lungs.

He was gone. My Marshall… was gone.

And I couldn't save him. Not this time. Not with that amulet around his neck of his own free will. Not with his proclamation that he was the new King of the Nightosphere.

He was lost to us. Our Marshall… was gone.

Our new beginning was crushed, and I felt empty.

**Author's Note: Sooo... I'd like to start off by saying I'm sorry I left you guys hanging like this. What a terrible way to end a series, right? Sometimes I think I'm a terrible, terrible person.**

**But then I remember that I'm not a bad person, really. I just really, really love writing this series. **

**Yes, I have an addiction to writing my own stories. Therefore, I hereby declare that I will write another piece to this epic story!**

**For those of you who are excited to read it: you guys are just flipping amazing, and I love you to death. Thank you all soooo so much for reading and supporting my writing. Seriously, your words of encouragement in reviews are just overwhelmingly helpful.**

**I hope I don't disappoint any of you guys, but hey, if I do, let me know. Feedback is always helpful :)**

So, that's it for part 5! Part 6 coming soon!


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